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Multiple Choice
In the desert food web, what ecological role does the rock pocket mouse primarily play?
A
Secondary consumer (carnivore)
B
Primary consumer (herbivore)
C
Prey (primary consumer) for predators such as owls and snakes
D
Primary producer
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the ecological roles in a food web: Primary producers are organisms like plants that convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. Primary consumers are herbivores that eat plants, secondary consumers are carnivores that eat herbivores, and prey refers to organisms that are consumed by predators.
Identify the diet of the rock pocket mouse: The rock pocket mouse primarily feeds on seeds and vegetation, which categorizes it as a primary consumer (herbivore).
Determine its role in the food web: As a primary consumer, the rock pocket mouse is preyed upon by predators such as owls and snakes, making it an important link in the transfer of energy within the ecosystem.
Clarify why it is not a primary producer: The rock pocket mouse does not produce its own energy through photosynthesis, so it cannot be classified as a primary producer.
Conclude its ecological role: Based on its diet and position in the food web, the rock pocket mouse primarily plays the role of prey (primary consumer) for predators like owls and snakes.