With reference to food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements:
- A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feed upon each other.
- Food chains are found within the populations of a species.
- A food chain illustrates the numbers of each organism which are eaten by others.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- None
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct
- Transfer of energy from producers through a series of organisms at each tropic level with repeated eating and being eaten is called a food chain. For example, Grasses → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Eagle constitute a food chain.
Statement 2 is incorrect
- Food chains involve interactions between different species across trophic levels, such as producers, consumers, and decomposers. It does not occur within a single species’ population.
Statement 3 is incorrect
- A food chain shows the flow of energy and the feeding relationships, but it does not quantify the numbers of organisms at each trophic level.
