Question

below is a food web from joshua tree national park, a desert ecosystem in southern california.
which arrows show matter moving from a tertiary consumer to a decomposer? select all that apply.
the arrow between the grasshopper mouse and the rattlesnake
the arrow between the red - tailed hawk and the mushroom
the arrow between the kit fox and the microfungus
the arrow between the desert iguana and the kit fox
the arrow between the rattlesnake and the red - tailed hawk

Explanation:

• A tertiary consumer is an organism that is at the fourth trophic level in a food web, feeding on secondary consumers. Decomposers break down dead organisms.
• The red - tailed hawk is a tertiary consumer (e.g., it may eat rattlesnakes which are secondary consumers). When the red - tailed hawk dies, mushrooms (a decomposer) can break it down. So the arrow from red - tailed hawk to mushroom shows matter moving from a tertiary consumer to a decomposer.
• The kit fox is also a tertiary consumer (it may eat grasshopper mice which can be secondary consumers). When the kit fox dies, microfungus (a decomposer) can break it down. So the arrow from kit fox to microfungus shows matter moving from a tertiary consumer to a decomposer.
• The arrow between the grasshopper mouse and the rattlesnake is from a secondary consumer (grasshopper mouse, if it eats grasshoppers which are primary consumers) to a secondary or tertiary consumer (rattlesnake).
• The arrow between the desert iguana and the kit fox is from a primary consumer (desert iguana, if it eats plants) to a tertiary consumer (kit fox).
• The arrow between the rattlesnake and the red - tailed hawk is from a secondary or tertiary consumer (rattlesnake) to a tertiary consumer (red - tailed hawk).

Answer:

the arrow between the red - tailed hawk and the mushroom, the arrow between the kit fox and the microfungus