Re: Explanation of the food chain

This is a really interesting question. If we think about the food chain for an omnivore I think it would go like this:

- we eat a cow (or pig, lamb, deer, etc)

- the cow eats plants

- the plants "eat" sunlight and nutrients from the ground.

Now, for a few animals we eat - mostly fish in this country - they eat other animals who then eat plants, etc. For example, we eat shark, they eat other fish, the other fish eat plants floating around the ocean, the plants use sunlight and nutrients in the water.

Now, this makes it seem that all we eat or the thing we eat the most of is meat. But, that is not true. Humans probably eat more grain compared to everything else. The number one item consumed in the world is rice. In most westernized countries that is probably wheat (bread, pasta, rolls, cereals, etc.) So, even though we are omnivores, we eat more grain than anything else.

Thanks for the question. I enjoyed answering it. Good luck on your report.

Jill Irvin Ohio State University