Question

below is a food web from shenandoah national park, a forest ecosystem in virginia. which of these organisms contain matter that was once part of the persimmon tree? select all that apply. bobcat swallowtail caterpillar pine vole black bear parasol fungus

Explanation:

In a food web, matter (like carbon, nutrients) from a producer (persimmon tree) moves through consumers (organisms that eat it or eat those that ate it) and decomposers (fungi that break down dead organisms which may have consumed the tree).

• Black bear: Eats persimmon tree (arrow from tree to bear), so matter from tree is in bear.
• Swallowtail caterpillar: Eats the persimmon tree (arrow from tree to caterpillar), so matter from tree is in caterpillar.
• Pine vole: If the vole eats organisms that ate the tree (or the tree directly, though the arrow here—assuming the web’s flow, but even via decomposers or other consumers, but more directly, if the vole is part of the chain from the tree). Wait, actually, looking at the web, the persimmon tree’s matter can pass to consumers (bear, maybe others) and then to their predators or decomposers.
• Bobcat: Eats organisms (like gray fox, black racer, etc.) that may have eaten organisms that consumed the persimmon tree, so matter from tree moves up the food chain to bobcat.
• Parasol fungus: Decomposes dead organisms (like those that ate the persimmon tree), so matter from the tree (in dead organisms) is broken down and part of the fungus.

So all these organisms (black bear, swallowtail caterpillar, pine vole, bobcat, parasol fungus) can contain matter once part of the persimmon tree, as energy/matter flows through the food web (producers → consumers → decomposers, and across trophic levels via predation).

Answer:

black bear, swallowtail caterpillar, pine vole, bobcat, parasol fungus