What is algae consumed by?
The animals seen as primary consumers include zooplankton, which is made up of the small larvae of larger fish that grow to become consumers at different levels of the food chain. Other animals also known as zooplankton are small animals, such as adult worms and crustaceans that spend their lives feeding on algae.
Who eats algae in the rainforest?
Daphnia is a crustacean first level consumer that eats algae. This organism is eaten by a variety of small fish.
What does algae look like?
Algae are a group of very small (microscopic) organisms which often live in water. Algae often form when conditions are calm, and they look like scum on the surface of water. The algae can be blue-green or greenish-brown and often smell musty or grassy.
What eats toxic algae?
For instance, fish and shellfish can eat algae that produce the toxin domoic acid. It’s not harmful for them, but it’s toxic to people. High doses can be lethal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Lower doses can damage the brain and cause memory loss.
Do earthworms help the soil?
Earthworms increase soil aeration, infiltration, structure, nutrient cycling, water movement, and plant growth. They get their nutrition from microorganisms that live on organic matter and in soil material. When they move through the soil eating, earthworms form tubular channels or burrows.
Are there any animals that eat the algae?
Some adult fish and other creatures also eat algae. Perhaps you have seen a type of catfish that that sucks the glass sides of aquariums? These catfish live on algae, which they vacuum off of glass and other objects with their mouths. As for what algae “eats”—algae does not eat, because it is not an animal. Algae gets it energy from sunlight.
What kind of algae do saltwater fish eat?
These species are known to eat red slime algae, green film algae, hair algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria, brown film algae, detritus, and microalgae. There are several saltwater fish species that eat algae.
What kind of algae do sea urchins eat?
All species of sea urchin eat algae. They eat all sizes of algae, from something as small as macroalgae to something as large as kelp, and have been known to eat Coralline algae. In cooler waters, sea urchins have even been known to eat enough to control the size and compositions of kelp forests.
What are the health benefits of eating algae?
Algae contains high levels of calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, selenium, and magnesium. Most importantly, it is one of the best natural sources of iodine, a nutrient that is missing from most other foods, and is also essential for a healthy functioning thyroid gland.