With reference to food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements: 1. A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feeds upon each other. 2. Food chains are found within the populations of a species. 3. A food chain illustrates the numbers of each organism which are eaten by others. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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YESPYQ · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: 1 only. Food Chain is the successive transfer of nutrients and energy from one creature to another. A food chain shows a straightforward relationship and only one component of the food or energy flow. E.g. Grasses → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk/Eagle. Statement 1 is correct: A food chain is a linear flow of energy and nutrients from one organism to another. Primary producers → primary consumers → secondary con- sumers → tertiary consumers. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect:  Food chains are not limited to a single species or population. They involve multiple species across different trophic levels (e.g., producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers). A food chain represents interactions between different species, not within a single population.  A food chain does not illustrate the numbers of organisms eaten by others. It shows the sequence of energy transfer and feeding relationships. The number of organisms at each trophic level is better represented by a food web or ecological pyramid (e.g., pyramid of numbers, pyramid of biomass). 15

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