Animals roles in African Savanna.
In the Africa Savanna there are many different roles that the animal play: Carnivore, Herbivore, Producer, Omnivore, Consumer, Decomposer and Scavenger.
Carnivore:
A carnivore is an animal that eats meat of other animals. These animals have to hunt for their prey and also contest other carnivores wanting the same food. Some carnivores in the African Savanna are top predators like the lion and vulture (C2, C3, C4).
Herbivore:
Herbivores are vegetarians. Vegetarians are animals that only eat plants and fruit. Herbivores do not eat meat or eat other animals and get all their energy and nutrients from plants (producers). Herbivores are mostly animals low on the food chain (C2) and are the main source of food for carnivores.
Producers:
Producers are neither carnivores or herbivores. Producers are mainly plants, trees and shrubs. For a producer to survive it does not feed off other animals or plants but instead relies on a substance called glucose which is created by the sun and carbon dioxide. This is the plant's food source. The process is called Photosynthesis. When a Herbivore or a omnivore feeds off the plant, it receives the nutrients and energy, and when the carnivore eats the herbivore or omnivore the energy and nutrients passes to the predator. The plant then regrows and reclaims nutrients and is ready to be eaten again.
Omnivore:
An omnivores is both herbivore and carnivore, meaning it eats meat and plants/fruit. They feed off animals and plants and are often found high on the food chain. Some are top predators. In the Savanna some examples of omnivores are baboons, monkeys and warthogs.
Consumer:
A consumer is an organism that gets it's food from other organisms. For example Herbivores feed on plants, which cycles the nutrients through the food web. These are called primary consumers. Consumers are also animals that have to eat other organisms to gain energy and nutrients.
Decomposer:
Decomposers are organisms that break down other dead organisms to collect any left over nutrients. Some decomposers are bacteria and fungi because they are found on dead animals and plants.
Scavenger:
Scavengers are organisms that get the left over meat and cartilage off striped dead animals. Scavengers can also feed off plants and fruit which makes it an omnivore. Animals like vultures are scavengers and they are high up on the food chain.
African Savanna Food Web
The Green coloured organisms are the Producers or C1, because they gather all the nutrients and glucose to feed to the herbivores and omnivores.
The Blue coloured organisms are the C2 part of a food web. These animals are herbivores because they are the only type of organisms that eat plants.
The Red coloured organisms are the C3 and C4 part of the food web. These animals are carnivores and omnivores. At the top f the food web is the lion, leopard and the vulture. The African lion is a carnivore because it mostly hunts zebras, wilder beast, giraffe and the African rhino. The leopard mainly hunts smaller animals such as antelope, baboons and warthogs. The vulture is a carnivore and a scavenger because it feeds off other dead organisms and hunts for it's prey.
The Blue coloured organisms are the C2 part of a food web. These animals are herbivores because they are the only type of organisms that eat plants.
The Red coloured organisms are the C3 and C4 part of the food web. These animals are carnivores and omnivores. At the top f the food web is the lion, leopard and the vulture. The African lion is a carnivore because it mostly hunts zebras, wilder beast, giraffe and the African rhino. The leopard mainly hunts smaller animals such as antelope, baboons and warthogs. The vulture is a carnivore and a scavenger because it feeds off other dead organisms and hunts for it's prey.