Can a secondary consumer be eaten by another secondary consumer? Thanks! :-)
Check these sites. What do you think?
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/
http://www.ehow.com/about_5530919_define-secondary-consumer.html
No because they eat primary consumers. Thanks!
can a food chain have quaternary consumer without having secondary or teritary consumer
Yes, a secondary consumer can be eaten by another secondary consumer. In an ecosystem, organisms occupy specific trophic levels, which represent their position in the food chain. Primary consumers, such as herbivores, consume producers (plants), while secondary consumers eat primary consumers. However, it is possible for an organism to occupy multiple trophic levels, depending on its diet.
For example, imagine a scenario where a small rodent (primary consumer) eats seeds and plants as its main source of food. A snake (secondary consumer) preys on the rodent, establishing itself as a higher trophic level. However, if a larger predator, such as a hawk (another secondary consumer), hunts and consumes the snake, it becomes a top-level predator and a secondary consumer simultaneously.
So, to summarize, while secondary consumers primarily feed on primary consumers, they can be consumed by other secondary consumers if the opportunity arises in the food chain.