FeedingGuilds
From coraldigest
Feeding Guilds
The "[relationship] between different organisms can be described by their trophic associations." On the most fundamental level, trophic associations describe "what an organism eats and what eats it."[1] All organisms can be divided into three different categories: producers, consumers, and decomposers. [1][2]
- Autotrophs - "self-nourishing organisms capable of absorbing solar energy and photosynthetically building high-energy organic substances" [1] A classic example of an autotroph on the reef are zooxanthellae.
- Heterotrophs
- Herbivores
- Carnivores
- Omnivores
- Detritivores
- Filter/Suspension feeders
- Planktivores
- Opportunistic feeders
- Parasites