Question

which arrows show energy moving from a secondary consumer to a decomposer? select all that apply. the arrow between the crabeater seal and the polychaete worm the arrow between the adélie penguin and the polychaete worm the arrow between the copepod and the icefish

Explanation:

1. First, define the roles:

• Secondary consumer: An organism that eats primary consumers (herbivores), placing it at the third trophic level.
• Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the ecosystem (polychaete worms are decomposers here).

1. Analyze each option:

• Crab-eater seals are secondary consumers (they eat fish, which are primary consumers). The arrow to the polychaete worm shows energy from the dead seal (secondary consumer) to the decomposer.
• Adélie penguins are secondary consumers (they eat primary consumers like krill). The arrow to the polychaete worm shows energy from the dead penguin (secondary consumer) to the decomposer.
• Copepods are primary consumers (herbivores that eat phytoplankton), so the arrow from copepod to icefish shows energy from a primary consumer to a secondary consumer, not a decomposer.

Answer:

• the arrow between the crabeater seal and the polychaete worm
• the arrow between the Adélie penguin and the polychaete worm