Food Sectors

Everything that lives has to eat. And life on the reef is no different. And every plant and animal is food for another eventually. Our Food sector explores the complex food supplies of marine plants and animals that creates a delicate web of life beneath the sea. The cycle of marine predation and consumption is typically separated into three major groups; Herbivores, omnivores, , carnivores. Additionally, there are two specialty groups in marine biology: planktivores, corallivores.

Herbivores a herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plant matter (rather than meat).

Omnivours- An omnivore (from Latin: omnis all; vorare to devour) is an animal that eats both plants and meat. Omnivores lack the specialist behaviour of carnivores and herbivores, searching widely for food sources, and are thus better able to withstand changes within their ecological niche. The digestive systems of omnivores reflect their versatility: they are able to digest the cellulose of plants in the manner of herbivores but also readily assimilate protein and other nutrients from meat

Carnivores- A carnivore is an animal that eats a diet consisting solely of meat, whether it comes from live animals or dead

Corallivores- An animal that consumes coral or coral reef formations. This class of animal includes such things as certain types of butterfly fish, sea stars and sea snails.

Planktivores - an animal that consumes plankton exclusively. Planktivores include most types of large baleen whales