Organisms and Food Web Roles for NEPTUNE Canada Nodes
Folger Passage Node
Organism
Phytoplankton
(microscopic algae)
Seaweed
Herring
Clam
Puget Sound King
Crab
Sunflower Sea star
What it needs for Food
Sunlight, water, carbon dioxide
Role in food chain
Primary producer
Sunlight, water, carbon dioxide
Zooplankton (microscopic animals)
Zooplankton
snails
Primary Producer
Secondary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
Secondary consumer
Ling cod
Rock fish
Consumer (both
secondary and tertiary)
Invertebrates (like urchins, clams, crabs) Tertiary consumer
and fish
Fish (herring, smelt, sand lance)
Tertiary consumer
Fish (herring, smelt, sand lance)
Tertiary consumer
Salmon
Red Rock Crab
Seabirds
Sea Lion
Seal
Killer Whale
Herring
Snails, other crabs
Fish and microscopic animals
Fish, octopus,
Fish, octopus
Fish, seals
Moss crab
Dead animals
Tertiary consumer
Tertiary consumer
Top-level consumer
(or quaternary
consumer
Detrivore
What it needs for Food
Gas hydrates
Symbiotic microbes
Sugars made by symbiotic microbes
Sugars made by symbiotic microbes
Bacterial mats
Zooplankton and suspended particles of
organic matter
Zooplankton and suspended particles of
organic matter
Zooplankton and suspended particles of
organic matter
Tubeworms, mussels
Tubeworms, mussels
Tube worms, mussels, clams, decaying
matter
Role in the food web
Primary producer
Primary consumer
Primary consumer
Primary consumer
Primary consumers
Primary
consumer/Detrivore
Primary
consumer/Detrivore
Primary
consumer/Detrivore
Secondary consumer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumers
and detrivores
Sea otter
Animals like clams and other seastars
Tertiary consumer
Tertiary consumer
Barkley Canyon Node
Organism
Microbes
Tubeworm
Vesicomyid clam
Mussel
Snail
Brittle star
Black coral
Sponges
Crab
Shrimp
Fish
Endeavour Ridge Node
Organism
Bacterial mats
Hydrothermal vent
bacteria
(endosymbiotic),
Thermofilaceae
Giant Tubeworm,
Riftia pachyptila
Tubeworm, Ridgeia
pisceasae
Tubeworm,
Paralvinella sulfincola
Vent Limpet,
Lepetodrilus fucensis
Hot Vent Clam,
Calyptogena
magnifica
Vent “sea spider”,
Ammothea verenae
Spider Crab,
Macroregonia
macrochira
Scale worm,
Lepidonotopodium
sps.
Hydrothermal Vent
Eelpout, Thermarces
cerberus
What it needs for Food
Hydrogen sulfide,carbon dioxide, and
oxygen
Hydrogen sulfide,carbon dioxide,
oxygen, and animal host
Role in food chain
Primary Producer
symbiotic bacteria,
Primary consumer
symbiotic bacteria
Primary consumer
symbiotic bacteria
Primary consumer
symbiotic bacteria and particles of food
from bacteria
symbiotic bacteria
Primary consumer
Surface bacterial mats
Primary consumer
tubeworms and snails
Secondary consumer
Tube worms
Secondary consumer
preys on vent crustaceans (crabs,
shrimp, and amphipods
Tertiary consumer
(upper-level
carnivore)
Octopus, Benthoctopus clams and other species
sp.
Crabs
Remains of other animals and bacteria
Primary Producer
Primary consumer
Tertiary consumer
(upper-level
carnivore)
Detrivore