Food Pyramid
Food Chain
The food chain begins with producers just like in any other food chain. The producers receive their energy from the sun, and then the consumers come into place. There are 3 types of consumers: herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. After the producers, herbivores come next in the food chain. Herbivores receive their energy from the producers since they can't make energy themselves. After herbivores, omnivores come next. Omnivores can eat either plants or animals, so whichever they choose to eat is where their energy comes from. Last but not least, carnivores, carnivores get their energy from the animals that they eat. The food chain is just a cycle, you get the energy from the food that you eat. The only exception is that if you eat other organisms, the less energy you will receive. For example, producers receive full energy from the sun compared to carnivores who don't even receive 1% of energy.
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Nutrient Cycle:
The cycling of major nutrients is important to just as important to the bottlenose dolphin as it is to any other organism. Carbon is really important because it is needed to build and repair cells, so that it is stored in its body and also to provide energy. Oxygen is important because most organisms need it. Dolphins need it because they have lungs not gills like fish do. Nitrogen is important because it forms amino acids. And phosphate is important because it is an essential part of DNA. Dolphins are omnivores, so that means they take what plants produce so they can survive. As it can be seen, all of these nutrients are important for dolphins just like they are for any other organism.
Succession:
Succession is a sequence of biotic changes that regenerate a damaged community or start a community in a previously uninhabited area. There are two types of succession: primary and secondary succession. Primary succession is the establishment and development of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited. Secondary succession is the reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact. Plant succession occurs on the many exposed sand bars on the reef which form the many islands along it. Coral reefs are build up of old coral on top of each other. A succession process that allows this build up is coral spawning. Another example of succession is the structure. Whenever the structure changes, there is damage and dolphins can be affected by such. Lava/magma comes out and it can kill dolphins, specifically if the water temperature increases