Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

FOOD CHAINS, FOOD WEBS, AND TROPIC LEVEL OF MARINE ECOSYSTEM

IN MANGROVE HABITAT
The food chain is the passing of food energy stored in plants through the
ecosystem in a series of eating and being eaten. Food chains become interlinked,
forming a food web. Food chain ad food web can be shown diagrammatically by
using a series of arrows each pointing from one species to another for which it is
source of food. Organisms obtaining food from a common source by the same
numbers of steps are said to belong to the same trophic level. Thus, producers or
plants occupy the first tropic level: herbivores, the second trophic level; carnivores
which eat herbivores, the third trophic level; and secondary carnivores, the fourth
trophic level. A given organism may occupy more than one trophic level according to
the source of energy.
As energy is transferred from one organism to another, the larger the
proportion is at the beginning of the chain the greater the available energy.

Objectives:
At the end of the activity, you should be able to:
1. Describe some of the food chains in the test area
2. Determine trophic levels of the organisms
3. Construct a food web
Materials:
paper pencil clipboard
Procedures:
1. The class will observe ecological area populated by marine plants and
animals living in the mangrove habitat.
2. The class will be divided into groups of five. Each group will list down plant
and animal species observe in the area.
3. From the list, each group will construct as many food chains as possible.
4. Construct food web by interlinking the food chains made in number 3.

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 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

REPORT SHEET
Group number: Group 2 Date: March 7, 2024
Course and Section: BSES 3A Rating:

I. Data
List of plant and animal specie:
• Mangroves • Bivale
• Phytoplankton/Algae • Gibbula
• Crabs • Tectus pyramids
• Detritus • Shrimp
• Mollusks • Dug whelks
• Small fish • Cimpets
• Dardakula na fish • Periwinkle
• Mysids • Hermit crabs
• Mudskipper • Spider
• Bird

Possible food chains for the area:

Producer Primary Consumer

Decomposer Tertiary Consumer Secondary Consumer

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 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

Food web:

II. Interpretation and Analysis of the Data

1. Assign trophic levels to each organism in the food chain.

Organisms Trophic Level Organisms Trophic Level

 Mangroves - Producer  Bivale - Primary

Consumer
 Phytoplankton/Algae - Producer  Gibbula - Primary
Consumer
 Crabs - Secondary  Tectus - Primary
Consumer pyramids Consumer
 Detritus - Decomposer  Shrimp - Primary
Consumer
 Mollusks - Primary  Dug whelks - Secondary
Consumer Consumer
 Small fish - Secondary  Periwinkle - Primary
Consumer Consumer
 Dardakula na fish - Tertiary  Hermit crabs - Secondary
Consumer Consumer
 Mysids - Primary  Spider -
Consumer

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 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

 Mudskipper - Secondary  Bird - Apex

consumer Predator

2. What are the organisms that occupy more than one trophic level?


3. Is it possible to construct a valid food web for the area?



4. Which organisms would obtain the least energy from a food source?


III. Questions:
1. How can people maximize the energy obtained from a food source?

2. What is the advantage of occupying more than one trophic level in a

food web?
 Occupying more than one trophic level in a food web
provide important benefits that support ecosystems’
general health and functionality. Organisms across many
trophic levels is essential in maintaining ecological balance
and biodiversity because they can improve nutritional
flexibility and energy efficiency, reduce competition, and
promote stability.

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 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

IV. Generalization:
 The complex interactions between organisms throughout the food
chain and food web of the mangrove environment are essential to
its survival. Because of their interdependence on one another for
supplies and energy, species can survive in this ever-changing
ecosystem even in spite of significant difficulties presented by the
mangrove habitat. Moreover, the food web’s intrinsic flexibility
and redundancy support the resilience of the mangrove
ecosystem. Many species within the food web carry out
comparable ecological tasks, an event known as functional
redundancy, which maintains ecosystem stability in the face of
disruptions. Furthermore, the interconnectivity across various
habitats in the mangrove ecosystem facilitates the exchange of
nutrients and energy, hence enhancing the overall resilience of
the ecosystem.

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 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Sta. Rosa Del Norte, Pasacao, Camarines Sur 4417
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.pasacao@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 513-9519

V. Documentation:

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