Video Transcript
Humans are part of a food
chain. What is usually the role of humans
in a food chain? (A) Carnivores, (B) consumers, (C)
producers, or (D) herbivores.
We don’t always think of humans as
part of an ecosystem or food chain. However, we actually have enormous
impacts on nearly every ecosystem on Earth, perhaps more than any other species. A major part of these impacts comes
from the methods we use to get nutrition, or food.
Unlike producers, such as plants,
algae, and some bacteria, humans cannot harness light or chemical energy to make
their own food. So we can rule out this answer
choice. Instead, humans must obtain
nutrition by eating other organisms, which makes us consumers. Answer choice (B) could be
correct. But as you may remember, consumers
can be further categorized by the types of organisms they eat. So let’s check the other answer
choices to make sure we select the best one.
Herbivores are a group of consumers
that only eat producers. In modern times, some humans choose
to eat a diet similar to an herbivore, commonly called a vegan diet. Someone may make this choice
because they oppose the inhumane treatment of farm animals or the negative
environmental impacts of certain farming and fishing techniques. These are valid concerns. For example, overfishing, which is
catching fish faster than they can reproduce, has caused dramatic declines in the
fish populations of every ocean. Overfishing is particularly
prevalent in the Mediterranean Sea, where over 90 percent of fish stocks are
overfished.
Despite the growing ethical and
environmental issues associated with farming and fishing, most humans don’t follow a
vegan diet. Since our question asks us to find
the usual role of humans in a food chain, herbivores is not the best answer
choice.
Carnivores are consumers that only
eat other consumers. Over the past decade, there has
been an increase in the number of humans that choose to follow a carnivore diet, by
only eating animal products, such as meat, organs, eggs, and some dairy
products. However, the total number of humans
following this diet is very small. So we can rule this answer out as
well.
Fossil evidence supports the fact
that our human ancestors evolved as omnivores, consuming both plant- and
animal-based foods. Most humans continue to eat this
way today. However, omnivores is not an answer
choice. So we can confirm that option (B)
is the best answer. The usual role of humans in a food
chain is that of consumers.
