Heterotrophs Pyramid Structure

Heterotrophs are any organism that consumes organic carbon and energy that is fixed by primary producers. This unit discussed an extremely important pyramid, somewhat like a food chain that categorizes heterotrophs. 1st level of the pyramid are herbivores, 2nd level are carnivores. Eukaryotes are single celled or multi-celled, recapped in this unit, the primary consumers are the herbivores, the secondary consumers are the herbivore consumers, and the tertiary consumers are the top predators. The heterotrophs are a very diverse group, which range from bacteria to large predators. They can either filter feed, or feed through active predation.

Through this unit I learned that the trick to remembering who the heterotrophic microbes are, is to think of them
This part of the pyramid in which we are learning about is essential to all ecosystem functioning. There are 3 main types of heterotrophic consumers that we discussed in this unit; Microbes, Copepods, Krill and Salps, and Nekton. Each consumer plays a different yet vital role in the growth and continuation of the life within the ocean and on earth. Microbes consist of bacteria, protozoa, and forams. The bacteria consume only dissolved organic material. Almost 90% of all primary production becomes a bacterium, and they all produce dissolved organic material. The Protozoa similarly are single celled, however, they consume bacteria. Forams otherwise known as amoebae, eat bacteria and are herbavores. The Copepods, krill and salps are the most important consumers of the phytoplankton. Copepods are the most abundant herbivore and the largest consumer of phytoplankton. Krill are known to be the staple diet to some of the biggest mammals on earth, like the shark and the whale. Salps are jelly in type, and are made up of mostly water. They have the largest fecal matter out of the three and are