Organisms of different species can interact in many ways. They can compete, or they can be … See more

What basic strategies do organisms use to get food? Some organisms, called autotrophs, also known as self-feeders, can make their own food—that is, their own organic co… See more

Now, we can take a look at how energy and nutrients move through a ecological community. Let's start by considering just a few who-eats-who relationships by looking at a food ch… See more

One other group of consumers deserves mention, although it does not always appear in drawings of food chains. This group consists of decomposers, organisms that break … See more

Food chains give us a clear-cut picture of who eats whom. However, some problems come up when we try and use them to describe whole ecological communities.
For instanc… See more