ike members of natural communities in ecosystems, humans are part of complex food webs. In this exercise, provide a list of food resources you normally rely on. Think of the top 5 food ingredients of your diet during the past week and complete the table below. In the column for Trophic-level role, position each of these ingredients in a food chain or web, thinking of their specific trophic levels. Possible trophic levels, as explained in class, are: (1) producers, (2) primary consumer, (3) secondary consumer, (4) tertiary consumer, (5) higher-level consumers, and (6) detritivore or decomposer.
In the column for Origin,mention where this food comes from, if you know it; if not, include your best guess. In the column for Lower trophic-level resource, mention the main food/energy necessary for the growth of this particular organism. For producers, the lower trophic level resource will be solar energy. For consumers, it will be the main food/organism they consume. In the column for Alternative resources, include foods you could eat instead of the mentioned resource, considering foods that you deem equivalent in nutritional value. Also, complete the column for Your trophic-level role when consuming this food, and then answer the three questions on the next page. Submit the answers to D2L’s Assignment’s folder.
Name:
Instructor: Mario Cardozo
GEG 010: Elements of Physical Geography
Exercise 5: Food webs
Due: 05/01/2019
Like members of natural communities in ecosystems, humans are part of complex food webs. In this
exercise, provide a list of food resources you normally rely on. Think of the top 5 food ingredients
of your diet during the past week and complete the table below. In the column for Trophic-level
role, position each of these ingredients in a food chain or web, thinking of their specific trophic
levels. Possible trophic levels, as explained in class, are: (1) producers, (2) primary consumer, (3)
secondary consumer, (4) tertiary consumer, (5) higher-level consumers, and (6) detritivore or
decomposer.
In the column for Origin, mention where this food comes from, if you know it; if not, include your
best guess. In the column for Lower trophic-level resource, mention the main food/energy
necessary for the growth of this particular organism. For producers, the lower trophic level
resource will be solar energy. For consumers, it will be the main food/organism they consume. In the
column for Alternative resources, include foods you could eat instead of the mentioned resource,
considering foods that you deem equivalent in nutritional value. Also, complete the column for Your
trophic-level role when consuming this food, and then answer the three questions on the next
page. Submit the answers to D2L’s Assignment’s folder.
Your food
resource
Trophiclevel role
Origin
(Actual or
possible)
Lower
trophic-level
resource
Your trophic-level
role when consuming
this food
Alternative
resources
Example 1:
Wheat
Producer
US
Midwest
Solar energy
Primary consumer
Rice, potatoes
Food 1
Food 2
Food 3
Food 4
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Food 5
Sustainability refers to avoiding environmental degradation through sound natural resource
management that ensures future generations will still be able to benefit from the resource in
question. Think of how the foods you mentioned are produced/harvested, their trophic levels, how
they connect with other trophic levels, and whether you consider the production of these foods is
sustainable. Answer the following questions:
1.
Mention which of the food resources listed above is the most sustainably produced or
harvested, and why you think so.
2. Mention which of the food resources listed above is the least sustainably produced or
harvested, and why you think so.
3. Which of these food resources could be replaced by alternative resources that belong to lower
trophic levels? How could replacing foods with lower trophic level organisms be better
environmentally and for your health? If pertinent, discuss issues of biological magnification and
more efficient energy transfer and land use.
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