Our country is so diverse in culture, customs and languages and so on. Most fascinating one is the diversity in the food we eat. From state to state, from time to time, the food we eat varies. The food we eat today is different from tomorrow. Hence, it’s time to think and learn about “Where does it come from?”. Let’s have a glimpse of food variety, their sources and diet of animals.
FOOD VARIETY AND SOURCES
As we said, food comes in a variety of forms, each come from different sources. Some we eat directly like fruits, whereas some we cook and eat like curry, rice, kheer, etc. Whether it is cooked or uncooked , the main sources of anything we eat are plants and animals. Fruits, vegetables, pulses, grains, etc. come from plants. Milk, eggs, meat and other dairy products come from animals.
Plants as source
Most of the parts of plants such as leaves, flowers, roots, stems, are edible. Carrots, beetroot, radish are some root vegetables; spinach, cabbage are leafy vegetables; tomato, brinjal, lady’s finger are few fruit vegetables. But, every part of every plant is not consumable; sometimes they can be toxic and allergens.
Animals as source
They give us milk, eggs, meat and many other products like cheese, ghee, honey, etc. Animals depend on plants for their food. Hence, we can assert that “directly or indirectly plants are the primary producers and primary source of food”.
DIET OF ANIMALS
In the food web animals are categorized as consumers. The primary producers called plants, provide them things to eat and shelter. But they depend on either directly or indirectly. Based on the diet, animals can be classified into three groups, namely,
As the name implies, herbivores (primary consumers) are animals depend on plants directly; they eat only plants. Deer, rabbits, giraffe, etc. are some herbivorous animals. Carnivores (secondary consumers) are flesh eating animals. They feed on herbivorous animals. For example, lion, tiger, cheetah, etc. Omnivores (secondary consumers) are animals which derive their nutrients from both animal and plant products; it may also include worms and fungi. Examples- bear, pig, crow, chipmunk, etc.
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