The Astonishingly Complex Marine Ecosystem Food Web You Wont Believe What Happens Next

The ocean food chain diagram. See the ocean ecosystem and trophic levels, which consist of producers, and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers in the ocean. Updated: 11/17/2021

Just below the surface of the ocean is a hidden world that is full of life. From colorful coral reefs, fish of all shapes, and sharks of all sizes, the ocean's ecosystem works in a special way to support the diversity of life. The ocean's ecosystem food chain is built upon a series of food chains that transfer energy between one another. Specifically, the ocean's food chain is the energy that is passed between organisms in a single linear pathway. While the ocean's food chain may sound straightforward, it gets more complicated in a fish-eat fish world. The ocean's food chains build webs which are the sum of the possible interactions of those food chains (Figure 1).

A food chain is a linear diagram that displays the transfer of energy between organisms. Usually, phytoplankton kick off the first level of the food chain and are also known as primary producers. These organisms rely on the sun's sunlight to photosynthesize or produce their own food source for energy. The next trophic level of organisms is called zooplankton. Zooplankton are primary consumers and eat phytoplankton as their source of energy. Zooplankton are small, almost microscopic animals that include many of the ocean's larvae. The combination of these free floaters fuels the fire to drive the ocean's food chain. The food chain is made up of several trophic levels which show a distinct transfer of energy between the organisms.

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Aside from the primary producers and consumers, the energy chain gets more complex and includes more consumers. In a fish-eat fish world, there are secondary consumers and even tertiary consumers in each ecosystem. Secondary consumers include fish or any organisms that consume zooplankton. Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers, which can include larger fish or even sharks. The chain of trophic levels can continue to increase as the number of consumers or predators intensifies.

In between the land on Earth is where you will find the world's open oceans or bodies of saltwater. Oceans take up approximately 70% of Earth's surface and are one of the features that make our planet unique. All the saltwater on Earth is divided up into specific oceans related to their location. The 5 oceans are the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Southern, and Indian. The Atlantic Ocean is found between the east coast of the United States and Europe. The Pacific Ocean is located between the west coast of the United States and Asia. The Arctic Ocean is found near the icy North Pole. The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica. Finally, the Indian Ocean is wedged between India, Africa, and Australia. These oceans provide unique habitats to the variety of marine organisms and function together to provide the open ocean food chain. The open ocean food chain starts with phytoplankton and transfers energy to support some of the world's biggest mammals known as whales.

Food chains in the ocean are not always so straightforward in the underwater world. A lot of marine organisms eat a variety of foods to get their energy or may have more than one predator. This makes the trophic levels in the ocean's food chain interconnected and more complicated. Ocean food chain diagrams are created to show the chain reaction of who consumes who. For example in Figure 2, the primary producers are phytoplankton who are consumed by secondary consumers known as zooplankton. Secondary consumers are consumed by others who are tertiary consumers. The chain can continue to increase as sharks are usually the top predator of the chain. Another example of a food chain is shown in Figure 2, but with terrestrial animals to demonstrate the energy consumer relationship.

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The most important organisms in a food chain are the primary producers. Primary producers make the most energy that is then transferred down the food chain between each trophic level. Primary producers are phytoplankton and they are microscopic single-celled organisms. They are the algae that are found in the sea. Phytoplankton are located near the ocean's surface as they rely on the sun to photosynthesize. On the other hand, seaweeds and seagrasses are other primary producers that play the same role stuck to the seafloor. Photosynthesis is the chemical food-making process that results in energy being made for the organisms. Other primary producers include seaweeds and seagrasses on the ocean's seafloor. All the other consumers would not be able to exist and thrive in the other trophic levels without the existence of these primary producers.

Primary consumers are organisms like zooplankton which are animal-like microscopic organisms. A consumer is something that digests or eats something. Primary consumers are herbivores meaning they only eat algae or plants. Zooplankton consume phytoplankton and there are over 10, 000 species to these animal-like organisms. Although they are small in size and include all of the ocean's larvae, zooplankton play an important role in serving as a food source for other more complex consumers. Other primary consumers include juvenile fish, sea stars, and even urchins. These consumers eat more of the ocean's seaweeds like kelp.

Secondary consumers are those who eat zooplankton as a source of food. This often includes fish or any other organism that may consume the zooplankton. Secondary consumers are considered carnivores because they eat meat and rely on other organisms in the food chain to get their source of energy. Surprisingly, seals are another example of secondary consumers as they are carnivores. Seals consume a variety of fish in their diet which can include those who feed on the primary producers. The classification of consumer and trophic level all depends on the food web of who consumes who.

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Tertiary consumers are the larger organisms that consume secondary consumers. These apex predators include sharks, whales, some dolphin species, polar bears, and even sea lions. Tertiary consumers are the top predators in each ecosystem who eat the secondary consumers to get their source of energy. Tertiary consumers keep the secondary consumer populations in check from instances like overpopulation. This makes these consumers the top of the food chain as they are the top hunter in control.

Ocean food chains don't always look exactly the same in the ecosystems found all over the world. In some places, we find tropical warm waters while others have freezing temperatures. The different climates create different habitats which result in different food webs. Two food chains that are unique and deserve the spotlight are the Arctic Ocean and Pacific Ocean food chains.

On Earth, the Arctic Ocean is found towards the North pole and has a temperature of approximately 28 degrees Fahrenheit. These near-freezing waters still begin with phytoplankton as their primary producers and zooplankton as their primary consumers. The secondary consumers in the arctic are slightly different because they are mainly prawn and krill. Krill are tiny shrimp resembling organisms while prawns include the other decapod crustaceans. Seals can also be a secondary consumer depending on their diet, but polar bears are top of the chain in this ecosystem. Polar bears are tertiary consumers and are apex predators on the ice. Polar bears get their energy from the meat and fat found in seals and from other carnivorous sources.

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The Pacific Ocean is found off the west coast of the United States and it has a range of temperatures depending on both the location and the season. The Pacific Ocean borders many countries which makes the seawater temperatures range from approximately, 45 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The primary producers of the Pacific Ocean food chain include something impressive. The Pacific ocean is home to immense kelp forests. Just like the forest you find on land, a kelp forest resembles that picture but underwater. Kelp forests create habitats that support a diversity of life including many young organisms.

Primary consumers that eat the kelp include a large variety of fish, sea stars, and even urchins. Without the next group of secondary consumers, urchin populations can get out of control as they graze on the endless supply of seaweed. Sea otters eat the urchins and are secondary consumers of these forests. The top apex predators that are the tertiary consumers are orca whales and even, hammerhead sharks.

The Pacific Ocean is so diverse that it is also home to the Great Barrier Reef found along the coast of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef gets its name from the sheer size that makes it visible from space. Below the equator, the waters are warm which makes the primary producers in this location seagrasses and phytoplankton. The reef is one of the most species-rich areas in the world which includes corals. Corals are unique animal-like organisms that are made up of phytoplankton called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae are trapped polyps located on the coral's tissues. In addition, sea snakes are even found in the diversity of the reef and eat secondary consumers including eels. This makes the toxic organism a surprising tertiary consumer.

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The ocean's ecosystem food chain is the energy that is consumed and passed between

Tertiary consumers are the larger organisms that consume secondary consumers. These apex predators include sharks, whales, some dolphin species, polar bears, and even sea lions. Tertiary consumers are the top predators in each ecosystem who eat the secondary consumers to get their source of energy. Tertiary consumers keep the secondary consumer populations in check from instances like overpopulation. This makes these consumers the top of the food chain as they are the top hunter in control.

Ocean food chains don't always look exactly the same in the ecosystems found all over the world. In some places, we find tropical warm waters while others have freezing temperatures. The different climates create different habitats which result in different food webs. Two food chains that are unique and deserve the spotlight are the Arctic Ocean and Pacific Ocean food chains.

On Earth, the Arctic Ocean is found towards the North pole and has a temperature of approximately 28 degrees Fahrenheit. These near-freezing waters still begin with phytoplankton as their primary producers and zooplankton as their primary consumers. The secondary consumers in the arctic are slightly different because they are mainly prawn and krill. Krill are tiny shrimp resembling organisms while prawns include the other decapod crustaceans. Seals can also be a secondary consumer depending on their diet, but polar bears are top of the chain in this ecosystem. Polar bears are tertiary consumers and are apex predators on the ice. Polar bears get their energy from the meat and fat found in seals and from other carnivorous sources.

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The Pacific Ocean is found off the west coast of the United States and it has a range of temperatures depending on both the location and the season. The Pacific Ocean borders many countries which makes the seawater temperatures range from approximately, 45 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The primary producers of the Pacific Ocean food chain include something impressive. The Pacific ocean is home to immense kelp forests. Just like the forest you find on land, a kelp forest resembles that picture but underwater. Kelp forests create habitats that support a diversity of life including many young organisms.

Primary consumers that eat the kelp include a large variety of fish, sea stars, and even urchins. Without the next group of secondary consumers, urchin populations can get out of control as they graze on the endless supply of seaweed. Sea otters eat the urchins and are secondary consumers of these forests. The top apex predators that are the tertiary consumers are orca whales and even, hammerhead sharks.

The Pacific Ocean is so diverse that it is also home to the Great Barrier Reef found along the coast of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef gets its name from the sheer size that makes it visible from space. Below the equator, the waters are warm which makes the primary producers in this location seagrasses and phytoplankton. The reef is one of the most species-rich areas in the world which includes corals. Corals are unique animal-like organisms that are made up of phytoplankton called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae are trapped polyps located on the coral's tissues. In addition, sea snakes are even found in the diversity of the reef and eat secondary consumers including eels. This makes the toxic organism a surprising tertiary consumer.

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The ocean's ecosystem food chain is the energy that is consumed and passed between

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