Aquatic food web

An aquatic food web is a network of feeding relationships among organisms in a body of water. It links producers, consumers, and decomposers through the transfer of energy and nutrients.

Primary production: The formation of organic matter from inorganic sources, mainly by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Algae and aquatic plants convert energy into the organic matter that supports many food webs.
Phytoplankton: Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that drift in water, including algae and cyanobacteria. Phytoplankton are primary producers at the base of many open-water webs.
Bioaccumulation: The buildup of a substance in an organism when uptake exceeds elimination. Food-web position can shape how contaminants accumulate within aquatic organisms.
Terrestrial food web: A network of feeding relationships among organisms in a land-based ecosystem. Its producers and habitats are terrestrial rather than aquatic.
Trophic level: A position in a food chain defined by how an organism obtains energy. Trophic levels organize feeding links from producers through successive consumers.
Zooplankton: Small drifting animals and animal-like organisms that feed on plankton or other particles. Zooplankton commonly transfer energy from phytoplankton to fish and larger consumers.
Biomagnification: The increase in a substance’s concentration in organisms at higher trophic levels. Feeding links can amplify persistent contaminants toward top predators.
Food pyramid: A diagram that represents trophic levels by organism numbers, biomass, or energy. A pyramid summarizes quantities at levels, while a web maps feeding links.
Food chain: A linear sequence showing how energy passes from one organism to another through feeding. A food chain isolates one route through the web’s many feeding connections.
Aquatic plant: A plant adapted to grow in water or waterlogged environments. Aquatic plants provide food and habitat in freshwater and coastal webs.

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