Question

below is a food web from joshua tree national park, a desert ecosystem in southern california. which organisms are tertiary consumers in this food web? select all that apply. rattlesnake kit fox grasshopper creosote bush coyote

Explanation:

• Rattlesnake: It preys on secondary consumers like desert woodrat (which eats creosote bush - a producer). So it is a tertiary consumer.
• Kit fox: It preys on secondary consumers (e.g., grasshopper mouse which may eat grasshopper that feeds on plants). So it is a tertiary consumer.
• Coyote: It preys on secondary consumers (e.g., kit fox, desert iguana's predators' prey relationships). So it is a tertiary consumer.
• Grasshopper: It is a primary consumer as it feeds on producers (creosote bush).
• Creosote bush: It is a producer (makes its own food via photosynthesis).

Answer:

rattlesnake, kit fox, coyote