Question

What are primary consumers? Can a food chain have quaternary consumers without having secondary or tertiary consumers? Can a tertiary consumer of one chain be a primary or secondary consumer of another chain?

Answer 1

Primary consumers are heterotrophes feed on producers.

Since producers are autotrophes that manufacture organic compounds from inorganic raw materials with the help of sun light. (E.g; all plants and algae )

Primary consumers directly depend upon these produces so they are always herbivores. Example: deer, goat , cow, grasshoppers , rabbit.

When the living beings depends upon primary consumers they are secondary consumers .since feed on hervibores they are carnivores.( ex ; frog, fox, snake) . They are primary carnivores.

The living beings depends upon secondary consumers they are tertiary consumers ( owl, wolf ) .They are secondary carnivores.

Top carnivores or quarternary consumers feeds on tertiary consumers . Example ; lion

Food chain forms the food web ; network of food chains which are interconnected at different tropic levels so as to form a number of feeding connections amonst the members of a biotic community.

Primary consumers always depend upom producers and secondary always depend upon primary consumers and tertiay depend upon secondary consumers.

A food chain have quarternary consumers without having secondary or tertiary consumers is not possible. Because when secondary or tertiary consumers are not present in the chain ; then the quarternary consumers now present at the place of secondary consumers. It becomes the secondary consumer.

Yes a tertiary consumers of one chain be a primary or seconday consumer of another chain.