Marine Biology

 Grazing Food Chain

The grazing food chain starts with green plants and ends with carnivores via herbivores. The producers are the green plants, which prepare their own food in the presence of sunlight. So, they are also called as Autotrophs. The herbivorous animals eat the plants (autotrophs/ primary producers). The carnivores eat the herbivorous animals. Thus, the grazing food chain starts with primary producers and ends with carnivores.

Plants               herbivores               primary carnivores                      secondary carnivores

(phytoplankton) (zooplankton)   (zooplankton feeding fish)    (preadtory fish / sea snakes/ sea birds)

This grazing food chain is further divided into predator food chain and parasitic food chains.