Question

Ranchers who have herds of sheep often have problems keeping predators away from their herd while the sheep graze on grass. Which term describes the sheep in this scenario?
Select all that apply.
A. Prey
B. Consumer
C. Primary consumers
D. Secondary consumers

Answer 1

The term that describes the sheep in this scenario is prey, consumer and primary consumer.

A. Prey

B. Consumer

C. Primary consumers

Explanation:

It is given here that the sheep graze on the grass. Thus sheep is a consumer. When we get into the details of trophic levels in the ecosystem we can understand that autotrophs are the producers of an ecosystem. The organisms that feed on autotrophs are primary consumers.

Here grass is the producer and sheep is the primary consumer since it feeds on the grass. It is also given here that the ranchers have to keep the sheep away from predators. This makes the sheep a prey too. The animals that feed on primary consumers are called secondary consumers.