Functional Groups
Functional Groups
Animals are consumers that eat other organisms, or parts of organism, to survive.
Learning Objective: Provide the functional classification of various animals, including structures used for feeding.
Taxonomic classification groups organisms by structural and evolutionary relatedness.
Functional classification groups organisms based on their role in their ecosystem.
Animals need to consume other consumers for nutrients and energy:
Herbivore consumers eat producers
Carnivore consumers eat other consumers, or their recently dead remains (scavengers)
Omnivores can eat producers and consumers
Animals do not choose their functional group, they have digestive organs, feeding structures, dietary requirements, and behaviors that obligate them to eat certain foods.
Of the different consumer functional groups, which has the most potential flexibility in diet?
Answer: omnivores like humans, foxes and crows can live off different foods in a variety of habitats
Vertebrate feeding structures indicate functional roles.
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