What is the full form of DFC?

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Detritus Food Chain.

• The Detritus Food Chain (DFC) involves the decomposition of organic matter from dead plants and animals, as well as fecal matter, into simpler substances that can be reused by producers.
• This food chain begins with detritivores like bacteria, fungi, and insects that break down dead organic material.
• The energy flow in a detritus food chain starts with dead organic matter and moves through detritivores and decomposers, eventually supporting various other organisms including predators and scavengers.

Information Booster: Food Chain

• Definition: A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another. Each level of the food chain represents a different trophic level.
• Trophic Levels:
  • Producers (Autotrophs): These are organisms like plants and algae that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
  • Primary Consumers (Herbivores): These are organisms that eat producers. Examples include cows, deer, and insects.
  • Secondary Consumers (Carnivores): These organisms eat primary consumers. Examples include wolves, snakes, and birds.
  • Tertiary Consumers: These are top predators that eat secondary consumers. Examples include lions, eagles, and sharks.
  • Decomposers: These organisms, including bacteria and fungi, break down dead organic material and return nutrients to the soil.
• Types of Food Chains:
  • Grazing Food Chain: Starts with producers and moves to herbivores and then to carnivores. This is the traditional concept of a food chain seen in most ecosystems.
  • Detritus Food Chain: Starts with dead organic matter and moves through decomposers and detritivores. This chain is critical in recycling nutrients within ecosystems.
• Energy Flow: Energy decreases as it moves up the food chain from producers to top consumers due to the second law of thermodynamics. Only about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is passed on to the next level.
• Importance: Food chains illustrate the flow of energy and nutrients through an ecosystem and highlight the interdependence of organisms. They are fundamental in understanding ecological relationships and environmental balance.