Explore the Outdoors!
Rabbits are herbivores that live in a wide variety of habitats, including woods, meadows, grasslands and even deserts. In the wild, rabbits form an important part of the food web as primary consumers. Rabbits are not decomposers but can function as scavengers in their habitat. Whereas they mostly eat living things like grass and hay,…
Caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths. Most species of caterpillars are herbivores and feed on a wide variety of plants. Some caterpillars are primary consumers, while others are secondary or tertiary consumers. Unlike worms, caterpillars are generally not decomposers because caterpillars mostly eat living plants. However, the caterpillar of the leaf litter…
Butterflies are nectarivores, which means that their diet consists of nectar from flowers. They are able to extract the nectar using their long proboscis (tongue). While feeding on the nectar, butterflies also collect pollen on their body, which they spread to other flowers as they move about. Butterflies are not decomposers, but their babies (their…
Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that are typically green or black. They have long antennae and two short tubes (cornicles) protruding from their backs. Aphids feed on plant juices, sugars, and nectar by piercing plant tissues with their needle-like mouthparts and sucking out the fluid. Aphids are not decomposers, but rather primary consumers as they…
Beetles are a type of insect that lives in nearly every habitat on Earth. There are more than 350,000 species of beetle and they vary greatly in size, shape, and color. Beetles tend to be herbivores (primary consumers) feeding on plants, but they may also be secondary consumers (omnivores) and also play an important role…
Mountain lions are carnivores that live in the western United States. They are tertiary consumers, which mean they eat animals are predators themselves. Mountain lions are also known as pumas, cougars, catamounts or panthers. The mainstay of their diet is deer, but they will also eat rabbits, turkey, raccoon, and porcupine depending on what is…
Algae are plant-like organisms that grow in water. They are classified as producers since they create their own food using sunlight, sugar, carbon dioxide and minerals. Algae are not decomposers but producers. This is because algae live predominantly off sunlight using photosynthesis to extract energy and they breathe CO2 to obtain carbon atoms to build…
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a type of bacteria that live in fresh and salt water environments. Cyanobacteria are often mistaken for plants because of this, but they are actually bacteria not plants. They are producers, meaning they produce their own food using photosynthesis. Because cyanobacteria can make their own energy through photosynthesis,…
Fish are a type of vertebrate that live in water. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be found in every corner of the world. Fish are either omnivores, carnivores or herbivores depending on the species, but some may also be considered scavengers. Fish are not decomposers because they eat other living organisms…
Vultures live in many different habitats including rainforests, savannahs, deserts and high mountain regions1. They can be found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Vultures are not decomposers but scavengers. They feed on meat from fresh carcasses, making them carnivores. Depending on the food availability and species they may be either secondary, tertiary or…
