Tag: introduction to animal nutrition

Herbivores are animals that consume plants as their food. Herbivores are at second level of food chain and are considered primary consumers.

Suspended food (phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae and other water-borne nutrients and particles) are trapped in the mucus of a gill, and from there are transported to the mouth, where they are eaten, digested and expelled as faeces or pseudofeces.

Fluid-feeding insects, such as butterflies, moths, and flies (20% of all animal species), are faced with the common selection pressure of having to remove and feed on trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces. 

The process in the alimentary canal by which food is broken up physically, as by the action of the teeth, and chemically, as by the action of enzymes, and converted into a substance suitable for absorption and assimilation into the body.

• Continuous feeders: That must "eat" constantly because the food is taken in and then pushed out soon afterwards are called continuous feeders. Most of these animals either are permanently attached to something (such as clams or mussels) or are very slow moving.
  
• Discontinuous feeders: Consume larger meals and store the ingested food for later digestion. These animals generally are more active and can avoid predators. Hence, the animals that feed discontinuously must have digestive tracts that permit storage and are able to avoid predators by limiting their feeding time.