Salmon are carnivores that eat other fish, zooplankton and small invertebrates. This means that they aren’t right at the bottom of a food chain. Plants are always at the bottom because they are able to make their own food.
The reason that salmon aren’t more predatory is an interesting one. It has to do with the way that evolution works. Animals will only change their diet if something changes in their environment to force them to change. For example, if all the things that salmon currently eat started to die for some reason, they would have to start eating other things. They may have to eat bigger fish or start eating plants. Within any species, there are variations. There will be some salmon that are slightly bigger and more aggressive than others – these are the types that will be able to eat bigger fish. The smaller salmon might die off because they can’t change their diet as easily. Eventually, all the salmon left will be the bigger, more aggressive ones that can eat the bigger fish.
Salmon eat what they eat now because that’s how they best survive. If something drastically changes in their environment to force them to change their diets, we might see them becoming more predatory.
HI Pooger12,
Salmon are carnivores that eat other fish, zooplankton and small invertebrates. This means that they aren’t right at the bottom of a food chain. Plants are always at the bottom because they are able to make their own food.
The reason that salmon aren’t more predatory is an interesting one. It has to do with the way that evolution works. Animals will only change their diet if something changes in their environment to force them to change. For example, if all the things that salmon currently eat started to die for some reason, they would have to start eating other things. They may have to eat bigger fish or start eating plants. Within any species, there are variations. There will be some salmon that are slightly bigger and more aggressive than others – these are the types that will be able to eat bigger fish. The smaller salmon might die off because they can’t change their diet as easily. Eventually, all the salmon left will be the bigger, more aggressive ones that can eat the bigger fish.
Salmon eat what they eat now because that’s how they best survive. If something drastically changes in their environment to force them to change their diets, we might see them becoming more predatory.
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