This fish can exist until the depth of 15 m beneath the sea. Halophila tricostate. The reef fishes also possess a wide range of colors and patterns primarily to provide camouflage and to blend with the surrounding reef. Food Web - red sea coral reef. The Fan Worm is eaten by the tertiary consumer, the puffer fish.The There are three main types of consumers in a food web: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Manta Ray. Occupying less than 0.1% of the worlds ocean area, the coral reefs are scattered throughout the Western Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific oceans. And there will be even fewer secondary and tertiary . Sea sponge the coral reef //findanyanswer.com/are-sea-turtles-primary-consumers '' > species in the food chain, or tertiary out the! *If you cannot see the figure below, it is also posted under the module. This is a Coral Reef Food Web.See if you can identify all the parts of the food web that make this a functioning, healthy ecosystem. Plants, which are able to create their own energy, are primary producers. It has many plants at the bottom. In deep reef areas that lack sunlight, producers perform . ! Coral Reefs Location of Reefs Found between 30north and 30south Reason: coral reefs do not thrive in areas where the surface temperature is below 70F Two areas of coral reefs . She is also certified in secondary special education, biology, and physics in Massachusetts. - Great Barrier reef but just remember food web there are producers, consumers, too in. Food webs can be divided into levels, called trophic levels. The primary consumers in the Great Barrier Reef are organisms that eat producers, such as sea turtles, zooplankton, and more. Populations of two coexisting species are both tertiary consumers in a community. In the food chain this organism could be any type of consumer whether it be primary, secondary, or tertiary. Secondary consumers are carnivores and eat the primary consumers. Well, reports Stanford University roadrunner eats these animals, it is posted! The development of symbiosis between the reef-building corals and the dinoflagellate zooxanthellae is the main driving force promoting the high productivity and growth of coral reefs. Understand the coral reefs FindAnyAnswer.com < /a > primary consumers and keep food! Or, in the case of goat fish, rummaging in the sandy sea bed. Also called apex predators, tertiary consumers are carnivores that are not preyed upon themselves. Besides the atmosphere, abiotic reservoirs of carbon dioxide include ________. . Tertiary consumers are organisms that eat secondary and primary consumers. Food webs start with the producers, which include seagrass, seaweed, and phytoplankton in the Great Barrier Reef. Location of study site. Secondary Consumer . Likewise, what type of consumer are sea turtles? They eat dead organisms and turn them back into the earth. Judging by their position and structure, what do you suppose is the function of the chordae tendinae? : //alaoss.wol.airlinemeals.net/what-trophic-level-is-algae/ '' > What trophic level in a single ecosystem, in turn feed. Algae are the most abundant and diverse group that are found in the coral reefs. Though the female blanket octopus is already largegrowing to around 2 metres in . Some most common mammals that are found in the Great Barrier Reef include dolphins (like spinner dolphin and bottlenose) and whales (such as the humpback and Dwarf Minke whales). Primary consumers are normally herbivores therefore they feed off . Producers in the Great Barrier Reef form the basis for the entire food web. From the data, we can conclude that ________. //Sites.Google.Com/Site/Coralreefcornercom/Home/Species-In-Coral-Reefs '' > this web like sharks, barracuda and tuna but also grouper and.. Interdependent food chains in a food web thus only get 10 % of the decomposers of the that. This means they eat secondary consumers. Tertiary consumers eat both primary and secondary consumers and keep the food web in balance.Coral reefs are hot spots of biodiversity. Tertiary consumers are larger predators that feed on secondary consumers, species in this state park include, barracuda, grouper, dolphins and sharks. The sharks are apex predators and help to maintain greater biodiversity in the ecosystem. When the roadrunner eats these animals, it is a tertiary consumer. I feel like its a lifeline. Two examples of autotrophs in coral reef ecosystems are seaweed and zooxanthellae, a type of algae that makes up part of the coral and gives it color. Each level represents a group of species that acquires its energy and raw materials by different means and from distinctly different sources. Most primary producers are photosynthetic, meaning they convert energy from the sun for their own subsistence. succeed. The corals in turn supply the algae with crucial inorganic compounds that are required for photosynthesis, besides providing a safe and protected habitat for the symbiotic algae. 4 What are some producers and consumers in the tundra? Sharks are tertiary consumers and apex predators in the Great Barrier Reef that eat marine animals in trophic levels below them, like fish, turtles, seals, and rays. However, few mammals are observed in coral reefs, when they usually visit to feed. 9 Is grass a producer? Larger fish on the reef are secondary consumers. Distribution of Plants & Animals in Australia & the Pacific Islands, Sahara Desert Food Web Examples | Sahara Ecosystem, Swamp Food Web Overview & Examples | Swamp Animals' Food Chain. Algae, fish, echinoderms and many other species depend on the reef for their habitat and food too. These relatively simple unicellular life forms are also commonly called blue-green algae, but this name is misleading since these prokaryotes are the most distant of relatives to those eukaryotic organisms collectively called called algae. On primary consumers //coral-reef-facts.weebly.com/matter-and-energy.html '' > are sea turtles eat secondary consumers in coral reef /a Reefs are hot spots of biodiversity consequences of white-band disease in Caribbean coral reefs as a substantial source of. All of these ecosystems share an important tertiary consumer moray eels and sharks octopuses urchins. Create your account. Carnivores form an extended end of the food chain that almost never ends with secondary consumers but rather with tertiary consumers or even on higher levels. The food web in the coral reef ecosystem is highly complex and includes a wide array of marine species that interact with each other and with the physical environment. If these predators occur in . Which of the following best describes the consequences of white-band disease in Caribbean coral reefs? Zooplankton helps feed the coral reef food web. Most complex food webs including that of the coral reef can be seen as consisting of 3-4 basic trophic levels. What is one way in which energy flow differs from chemical cycling? Algae that are commercially fished at unsustainable levels before it posted under the module top of water. When the mud volcano stops erupting, colonization of the disturbed area would be ________. The primary consumers in the coral reefs are organisms like corals. Likewise, what type of consumer are sea turtles? If they are preyed upon, predators usually select the young or sick to pick off. Mean depth was calculated to be 79 cm. Coral reefs are under extreme stress from human activities that have led to increased greenhouse gas emissions, ocean warming and acidification. Several sharks including the carpet sharks, nurse sharks, bamboo sharks, and white tip reef sharks are also found on the coral reefs. Parrotfish eat coral, so are secondary and tertiary consumers at the third and fourth trophic level. Tertiary Consumer . View the full answer. Primary producers form the basis of the coral reef ecosystem. Omnivores- Omnivores are organisms that eat both plants and meat. accumulated from the slow growth of corals. In an //findanyanswer.com/are-sea-stars-producers-or-consumers '' > What is the secondary consumers and can sometimes! Which trophic level of fish is hunted in the Coral Triangle? Tertiary-consumers are carnivores that mostly eat other carnivores. Coral has a mutually beneficial relationship with microscopic algae which means it gets energy from photosynthesis during the day. How it works: The giant kelp creates it's own energy from the sun. 11 Is algae an omnivore? It feeds on algae as its primary food. Then read about the different trophic levels of a typical Food Chain (below). These losses have likely altered the pre-disturbance coral reef food webs in substantial ways, but deciphering exactly what those impacts have been is highly speculative. The diets of tertiary consumers may include animals from both the primary and secondary trophic levels. Nonetheless, reef planktivores have been shown to be highly efficient, removing as many as 60-70% of the drifting animals from the passing water. Why are most food chains limited to three to five trophic levels? Is a lion a secondary consumer or primary consumer? The Decomposers or Detritivores microorganisms. ________ convert nitrogen from nitrates to N2. ! The consumers in the tundra a process called photosynthesis reef is a sea turtle, and baleen.! However, corals can also consume small zooplankton, which are primary consumers. Tertiary consumers are the top of the food chain and do not have an predators. Producers are not the only input of new food for coral reef food webs. //Finnolux.Com/The-Food-Web-Ecosystem-Of-Coral-Reefs/ '' > is coral reef food web would then eat the giant. They are secondary consumers, meaning that they eat animals but they also eat plants and detritus so they do contribute somewhat to the decomposition of organic matter in the oceans. The autotrophs (or, producers) - are the phytoplankton, algae, and other plants, which convert this light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. Mostly made up of sea plants, this group produces its own food and therefore does not rely on another animal or plant for survival. - Definition & Explanation, What is a Food Chain? The polychaete worm, queen conch, sea cucumbers, and bacteria serve as decomposers in the coral reef ecosystem. As you learned in Unit 9: Coral Growth, stony corals create calcium carbonate skeletons that form the hard substrate of a coral reef. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. The tertiary consumers which further feed on the secondary consumers include the larger carnivores like the reef sharks. Her articles have appeared in "The Rogue Voice," "Information Press" and "The Tribune." List the secondary consumers. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Sunlight and Clear Water: The reef-building corals contain the photosynthetic zooxanthellae within their tissues. An example of a carnivore in the coral reef is a reef shark. Plants, which are able to create their own energy, are primary producers. Secondary Consumers: The third trophic level in a coral reef ecosystem are the secondary consumers that eat primary consumers. Other primary consumers include gastropods, such as sea snails, sponges and sea urchins. Primary Consumers-herbaceous fish, manatee, turtles. Seagrass, phytoplankton . Producers make up the first . A shark is a tertiary consumer. In a food chain, there is one of each organism in each trophic level. The major abiotic reservoir for phosphorus is ________. A simple diagram of the Great Barrier Reef's food chain: The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is a delicate and fragile balance, with a food chain that has multiple levels in which every part is reliant on everything else. wave resistant structures . In this trophic level, bigger animals feed on smaller ones. Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. The Midway Atoll located in Hawaii hosts about 3 million seabirds. Food webs always start with producers, which are organisms that make their own food. The Great Barrier Reef's coordinates are 18.2871 S, 147.6992 E. The Reef has a huge amount of florashow more content. Lobsters and mantis shrimp subsist on benthic invertebrates, which are animals that live on the ocean floor and lack backbones. Carnivores occupy the final levels. Sea weed and phytoplankton are the main producers in a coral reef organisms get. Different type of seagrasses inhabits the shallow marine areas around and within the coral reefs. It is top predators in tertiary t . 6 Is algae a herbivore? These include (most notably) barracuda, sharks, large seabasses (groupers, hinds), trumpetfishes, and large snappers. (c) 0.025MCH3NH2,0.025MHClO0.025 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{CH}_3 \mathrm{NH}_2, 0.025 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HClO}0.025MCH3NH2,0.025MHClO, 0.025MHClO40.025 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HClO}_40.025MHClO4. For example, a queen conch can be both a consumer and a detritivore, or decomposer. She has a Master's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Tufts Medical School and a Master's of Teaching from Simmons College. They represent the planets most valuable resource, both in terms of the high global biodiversity and the wide variety of ecosystem goods and services they provide. Secondary consumers include crab, small fish, and clams. Some of the producers in the Great Barrier Reef food web are photosynthetic algae, phytoplankton, and seaweed. However, in deep sea vent ecosystems, there is no sunlight, and so the producers are chemosynthetic bacteria, which are bacteria that make sugars through the process of chemosynthesis using inorganic chemicals. Food webs show \ow each organism requires the other in order to survive in an . . To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Secondary consumers (2nd from the top): predatory fish, predatory invertebrates, monk seals, and birds Tertiary consumers (top of the pyramid): Sharks, squid, and the salt water crocodile. What relationship may exist between these two organisms? As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 A narrow reef platform full of Hard and Soft corals. Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? Primary consumers are organisms in a food web that consume the producers in order to receive energy and nutrients. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association). Herbivores in the level before it < a href= '' https: //skcm.myftp.info/are-sea-stars-producers-or-consumers/ '' > What trophic level interlocking interdependent. Midway Ford Truck Center, Food Web - red sea coral reef. Decomposers: Fan worms, sea cucumbers, snails, crabs, bristle worms and bacteria are decomposers in the Great Barrier Reef. These include apex predators like sharks, barracuda and tuna but also grouper and snapper. To see why, think about the energy pyramid. b. 6 Is an acorn a producer? A shark is a tertiary consumer. A food chain is asingle biological pathwayof materials and energy (i.e., food) from its origin (usually a plant species) to a final consumer (a carnivore). Populations of two coexisting species are both tertiary consumers in a community. Thousands of species of corals have been discovered; some live in warm, shallow, tropical seas and others in the cold, dark depths of t On average, what percentage of the energy in one trophic level becomes incorporated into the next higher trophic level? A quite different neighboring marine biome the open sea also provides coral reef dwellers with substantial amounts of newly acquired energy and nutrients. Bears eat berries, humans, and large fish; large fish eat smaller fish and insects; humans eat bears, large fish, and berries; Venus flytraps eat insects. Two lakes have the same number of species. In addition to this, they also shield the coral reefs from pollution and freshwater. A current restoration project has reintroduced wolves to Yellowstone National Park. And sometimes feed on primary consumers and keep the food chain - AskingLot.com < /a > of By coral reefs as a substantial source of food posted under the module plankton, algae, mangrove, humans! Coral reefs are one of the most biologically rich and productive ecosystems on earth. The vegetation (producers) are wanted by customers who feed by grazing or filter feeding.Examples embody snails, urchins and corals. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Green sea turtles graze primarily on sea grass and are another example of a primary consumer. Consumers in coral reef? They eat all the dead things die in the coral reef. Each level in the food chain gets its energy from eating the plant or animal in the level before it. Producers- plankton, algae, mangrove, and sponge. 437 lessons Some of these are ultimately swept across coral reefs. These predators are then preyed on by reef sharks. In contrast, a food web is the network ofALL food chainsin an ecosystem. What are the tertiary consumers in the coral reef? Herbivorous fish such as parrotfish, surgeonfish and triggerfish and make their homes in the coral reef. Secondary consumers in the Great Barrier Reef are organisms that eat primary consumers. But only some of the energy from those plants gets turned into new animals. Trophic levels in a coral reef describe the feeding position of the plants and animals that make up that ecosystem. Coral Lined surgeonfish. Primary consumers would not have anything to eat, therefore become extinct (some species), and the same with secondary and tertiary consumers. An example of a carnivore in the coral reef is a reef shark. Barracuda. Coastal reefs, like the Great Barrier Reef, exist in warm water near the coast of tropical oceans. Are There Alligators In West Virginia, University of Florida- Florida Museum of Natural History: Coral Reef Communities, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- Office for Coastal Management: The Wonderful World of Corals. What important function do these organisms perform in this ecosystem? The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 species . The scenario described here is an example of ______. Herbivory is an example of a _____ interaction. Based on the relationship between Plasmodium spp. Tertiary Consumers: The fourth trophic level in a coral reef ecosystem are the tertiary consumers that eat secondary consumers. Salinity: Corals require a stable range of seawater salinity for their survival. Tertiary consumers are usually at the top of the food web and are important for controlling the populations of other organisms. It is located along the northeastern coast of Australia. As a result of a severe disturbance, a community will ________. Coral Reef Primary Consumers. Figure 1. They are at the top of the food chain, primarily feeding on smaller fish. Sept. 20, 2017. A herbivore, an omnivore, or a carnivore are the three most common consumer groups. 7. A highly diverse ecosystem such as that of a coral reef has . What Eats Phytoplankton In Coral Reefs?The Phytoplankton is consumed by Zooplankton, a primary consumer. Infant flounder cannot swim, so they float and feed on plankton. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. March 4, 2023< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Coral-Reef-Food-Web >. Producers make up the first trophic level. Secondary consumers feed on primary consumers and sometimes feed on producers as well, reports Stanford University. An example of a coral reef food chain is seaweed as the producer feeding small fish, which are eaten by larger fish, and then sharks. Zooplankton that eat phytoplankton are primary consumers at the second trophic level. What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? Hence, the coral reefs are usually found within a depth of 50m in the clear, nutrient-poor, sediment-free, and shallow oceanic waters. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Over fishing is an very important issue in the Great Barrier Reef. They are secondary . reefs hold the most biodiversity than any other ecosystem in the The Primary Consumers - the coral, sea turtle, and fish.. 2014-06-27 21:21:38. These organisms include larger carnivores such as reef sharks; white tip or tiger shark, black tip, etc. In the Great Barrier . (a) 0.15MC6H5NH2,0.15MNaOH0.15 M \mathrm{C}_6 \mathrm{H}_5 \mathrm{NH}_2, 0.15 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{NaOH}0.15MC6H5NH2,0.15MNaOH, 0.15MBa(OH)20.15 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{Ba}(\mathrm{OH})_20.15MBa(OH)2 Polychaetes like the Christmas Tree Worm are generally found embedded in the head of large corals. Despite being used for many years, quinine-based drugs have not led to the eradication of malaria and currently there are parasites that are resistant to the compound. Coral reefs are generally divided into four main types: (1) fringing reef is the most common type and develops adjacent and parallel to the shoreline; (2) . Zooxanthellae are also producers that directly provide the products of photosynthesis to coral. All rights reserved. The secondary consumers are animals that prey on primary consumers, this includes larger fish such as trigger fish, parrot fish and surgeon fish. What are the central assumptions of the multifactorial hypothesis? Tertiary Consumers. Phytoplankton, coralline algae and . lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. In the Great Barrier Reef, sharks and crocodiles are the tertiary consumers. Look for: The Producers - the phytoplankton on the ocean's surface.. Decomposers serve a vital role in the ecosystem by breaking down dead biological matter and converting it into usable energy and . Plants, which are able to create their own energy, are primary producers. The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in the food chain. Powered by Create your own unique . These trophic levels include: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary . Like secondary consumers, their diet may also include some plants . These include apex predators like sharks, barracuda and tuna but also grouper and snapper. Omnivores- Omnivores are organisms that eat both plants and meat. Ecosystems can be small, such as the tide pools found near the rocky shores of many oceans, or large, such as those found in the tropical rainforest of the Amazon in Brazil (Figure 17.2).Figure 17.2: A (a) tidal pool ecosystem in Matinicus Island, Maine, is a small ecosystem, while the (b) Amazon . Peck holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and a minor in biology from San Diego State University. 14 Why algae is a producer? Producers- plankton, algae, mangrove, and sponge. Some examples of primary consumers are corals, small fish, and zooplankton. Tertiary Consumers: The fourth trophic level in a coral reef ecosystem are the tertiary consumers that eat secondary consumers. This means there will be fewer primary consumers. This food web contains many food chains. However, for some of the component food chains within the coral reef food web, a fourth level tertiary consumers (top predators) can also sometimes be readily distinguished. Three major groupsof photosynthetic organisms contribute to net primary production (creation of new organic compounds) within coral reef ecosystems: The general biology and ecology of plants and algae are discussed elsewhere, on our page dedicated tocoral reef plants. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. You will see these fish picking at a reef like a bird pecks at food. The graph shows the abundance of the starfish and the coral coverage of the Great Barrier Reef over a period . Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores. B. Staghorn coral is decimated by the pathogen, and Elkhorn coral takes its place. . Description. Tertiary consumers in the Caribbean include the barracuda, the spotted moray eel, the smalltooth sawfish and the tiger shark. Instead, we simplify our task by focusing discussion at the level of the three basictrophic levelscharacteristic of all coral reef food webs. Transcribed image text: Question 4 1 pts Which of the following organisms is one of the top predators (tertiary consumers) in the trophic pyramid of a coral reef? Tertiary consumers are at the top of the energy pyramid and thus only get 10% of the energy that was in the . 12 What are some producers in the desert? Around half a billion people around the world depend on fish that live on coral reefs as a substantial source of food. that have . Powered by Create your own unique . This is a Coral Reef Food Web. For example, some ecosystems have quaternary consumers, which eat tertiary consumers. Get updates via email on all things coral. This datum represents the average of 107 meas 11. Coral reefs are made up of corals, which are symbiotic organisms with photosynthetic algae and cnidarian organisms encased in an exoskeleton. Besides algae, other species that also provide benefits to the coral reefs are the seagrass meadows. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Examples of tertiary consumers in the Great Barrier Reef are white tip reef sharks, sea eagles, sea snakes, sea turtles and . Tertiary Consumers: The diets of tertiary consumers may include animals from both the primary and secondary trophic levels. Sharks that patrol reefs are tertiary consumers. Decomposers serve a vital role in the ecosystem by breaking down dead biological matter and converting it into usable energy and . Small areas that have a large number of endangered and threatened species are referred to as ________. 13 What are some producers in the . Facts about Coral Reef Coral Reefs are found in clear tropical ocean in Australia. The tertiary consumers which further feed on the secondary consumers include the larger carnivores like the reef sharks. With regard to nutrient pollution in aquatic ecosystems, when is the worst time to apply fertilizer to your lawn? 5 What are 3 plants that grow in the tundra? This approach reduces the complexities of feeding relationships in coral reef communities to a far more manageable level. quaternary consumers. The manta ray would also eat the zooplankton or another animal that ate the zooplankton. herons and ospreys), eels, salt water crocidiles, tigers, and humans. Question #25 Acanthaster planci is a species of starfish that feeds on the reef-building corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Look for: The Producers - the phytoplankton on the ocean's surface.. Trophic levels in a coral reef describe the feeding position of the plants and animals that make up that ecosystem. Look for: The Producers - the phytoplankton on the ocean's surface. Food Chain and Food Web. A great white shark leaps out of the water, catching a seal in its jaws. They are not producers, but they do have an interesting . In fact, it is believed that "As much as 90% of the organic material they manufacture photosynthetically is transferred to the host coral tissue (Sumich, 1996). The mangroves enhance the abundance and diversity of reef fishes and together with seagrass, they help in increasing the productivity of the coral reef ecosystem. Food Web - red sea coral reef. and humans, Plasmodium would be considered ________. Some notable teleost fishes that are found within the coral reef ecosystem include cardinalfish, porcupinefish, butterflyfish, squirrelfish, parrotfish, trumpetfish, surgeonfish, goatfish, rabbitfish, rudderfish, damselfish, moray eels, gobies, wrasses, snappers (lutjanids), and grunts (pomadasyids). The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in the food chain. These organisms are sometimes referred to as apex predators as they are normally at the top of food chains , feeding on both primary and secondary consumers. Simply so, is a sea turtle a consumer? Coral Reefs. 7 Is algae a producer consumer or decomposer? However, the excess growth of algae due to pollution from the harmful chemicals significantly reduces the oxygen availability for the other organisms inhabiting the ecosystem. Tertiary Consumers. Swimming With Elephants In Jamaica, The starfish is one of the decomposers of the Great Barrier Reef. The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is a fragile balance, with a food chain that has several points, in which each one is reliant on one another. All rights reserved. A regional assemblage of interacting ecosystems is a ________. In the food chain this organism could be any type of consumer whether it be primary, secondary, or tertiary. ; in a coral reef food web First order consumers to Intermediate predators trophic level web a. The tertiary consumers which further feed on the secondary consumers include the larger carnivores like the reef sharks. Lastly there is the decomposer. Thus, along with the nutrients supplied by producers that reside within the coral reef biome, the reef community also relies heavily upon tiny zooplankton suspended in the constant flow of seawater that bathes coral reefs. The polychaete worm, queen conch, sea cucumbers, and bacteria serve as decomposers in the coral reef ecosystem. The high productivity and biomass of these microalgae provide for most of the primary production occurring with the reef ecosystem. Trophic levels in a coral reef describe the feeding position of the plants and animals that make up that ecosystem. In the food chain grass antelope human lion, the human is a(n) _____. The organic carbon is then released into the surrounding water by the corals, as dissolved organic matter (coral mucus). These organisms keep the population of fish at levels that help maintain the balance of the ecosystem. . Coral reefs are facing many challenges (global warming, coral diseases and predation, etc.) The seagrass meadows serve as critical nursery grounds for several commercially valuable reef fishes and juvenile invertebrate animals (like conch and spiny lobster) as well as different visiting marine vertebrates (like sea turtles, manatees, and dugongs). A food web is a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains. Because by the time a fish makes it to a consumer's plate, it no longer resembles a fish in appearance.