Algae Role In Food Chain
A more complex marine food web might look like the one to the right.
Algae role in food chain. Similar to land plants algae are at the base of the food chain and given that plants are virtually absent from the oceans the existence of nearly all marine life including whales seals fishes turtles shrimps lobsters clams octopuses sea stars and worms ultimately depends upon. A simple marine food chain might look like the one to the left. The phytoplankton are the producers. Algae form organic food molecules from carbon dioxide and water through the process of photosynthesis in which they capture energy from sunlight.
Positive aspects of algae are generally less newsworthy they are the basis of marine food webs supporting fisheries and charismatic marine megafauna from albatrosses to whales as well as consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Despite the visual complexity of. The salmon is the top consumer. Algae s role in the food chain is to be the producer.
About 70 species of algae are used for food food additives animal feed fertilizers and biochemicals. Fitting algae into the food web note to teachers. Algae algae ecological and commercial importance. Here we consider what algae are their diversity in terms of evolutionary origin size shape and life cycles and their role in the natural environment and in human affairs.
Microalgae are able to enhance the nutritional content of conventional food and feed preparation and hence to positively affect humans and animal health due to their original chemical composition. And the copepods are the primary consumers.