QUESTION

Medium

Environment & Ecology

Prelims 2021

Consider the following kinds of organisms:

  1. Copepods
  2. Cyanobacteria
  3. Diatoms
  4. Foraminifera

Which of the above are primary producers in the food chains of oceans?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Copepods are major secondary producers in the World Ocean.

Statement 2 is correct: Diatom refers to any member of a large group comprising several genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. They are major primary producers in the food chains of oceans.

Statement 3 is correct: Cyanobacteria, also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of Gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. They are major primary producers in the food chains of oceans.

Statement 4 is incorrect: Foraminifera are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly an external shell of diverse forms and materials. They are the consumer.

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