With reference to food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements:
- A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feed upon each other
- Food chains are found within the populations of a species
- A food chain illustrates the numbers of each organism which are eaten by others
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2013 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
- A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feeds upon each other. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- Food chains are not found within the populations of a species. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
- A food chain does not illustrate the numbers of each organism that are eaten by others. Hence statement 3 is not correct.