Food Web
The plants, also known as the producers, capture energy from the sun and start the process of photosynthesis all plants from shrubs to cacti use the suns energy as food. They use water carbon dioxide and the energy stored to produce glucose, a sugar which is the basic component of the food chain. The plants then use the sugar to produce carbohydrates, proteins and fats required for growth and reproduction. The plants store the food and then the Herbivores also known as primary consumers eat the plants and become the second link in the food chain. The omnivores, also known as the flesh and plant eating eat the primary consumers. Then the scavengers also known as the detritivores become the next link by eating the omnivores. Then the Decomposers free up all the nutrients for recycling the food chain .
When eating plant or animal the consumers are storing the enegrgy at the tropic levels the consumers give up roughly 90% of the energy they eat. Which means that the producers/plants are 90% of all living matter and animals/consumers are the other 10%.
The desert can have major affects on the consumer population because of the harsh climates.
http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h384/skyliex/Picture1.png