In an eco-system there maybe different types of food chains. Usually two types of food chain are found in nature.
- Grazing food chain or Predator food chain.
- Saprophytic food chain or Detritus food chain.
Grazing or Predator food chain: The food chain starts from the green plants, goes to grazing herbivores and gradually moves from the smaller carnivores to the bigger. It is known as predator grazing food chain. e.g. deer eats grass, tiger eats the deer (this is a predator grazing food chain).
Saprophytic or Detritus food chain: Different micro-organisms or fungus splits up dead body of plants and animals into organic components. The splitting organisms are decomposers. The splited organic compounds are taken as food by some animals and then the decomposers are converted into foods of other animals. Such as, Dead organism-Decomposer-Amoeba -Hydra Zooplankton-Fish.
