Question

38 a partial food web is shown below.
coyotes
foxes
snakes
muskrats
bluegills
cattails
snails
algae
which organism in the food web are both primary and secondary consumers?
a cattails
b bluegills
c snakes
d coyotes

Explanation:

To determine which organism is both a primary and secondary consumer, we analyze each option:

• Option A (Cattails): Cattails are producers (they make their own food via photosynthesis), so they are not consumers. Eliminate A.
• Option B (Bluegills):
• Primary consumers eat producers. Bluegills eat Algae (a producer) and Cattails (a producer), so they act as primary consumers here.
• Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. Bluegills also eat Snails (a primary consumer, since Snails eat Algae). Thus, Bluegills are both primary and secondary consumers.
• Option C (Snakes): Snakes eat Bluegills (a secondary consumer) and other organisms, so they are tertiary or secondary consumers but not primary (they don’t eat producers directly). Eliminate C.
• Option D (Coyotes): Coyotes eat Muskrats (a secondary consumer) and Foxes, so they are tertiary or secondary consumers, not primary. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. bluegills