The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
An herbivore (from Latin herba = grass, vorare = to devour) is an animal that obtains its nutrition by consuming plants and algae, the primary producers (autotrophs). Since these consumers do not eat meat, one can think of herbivores as vegetarians. Examples of herbivores are cows and horses which eat grasses, hay, and other plants; caterpillars, which consume leaves; and marine zooplankton, which consume phytoplankton. Each ecosystem has its own specific set of herbivores, and within each ecosystem there are often several different types of herbivores, each eating a different type of producer. For example, in a rainforest, one herbivore might eat only a certain type of leaves, while another eats only specific fruit, and a third eats only nuts. Yet another herbivore might eat all three.
Because herbivores are not able to make their own food, they are considered heterotrophs. They must obtain all nutrients and energy from the food they consume.
Herbivores are a very important link in food webs. While they do not make their own food, they do pass energy and nutrients along the food web between producers and higher order consumers (the carnivores), thus linking these two levels. Because they are the first level of consumers in a food web, herbivores are often called primary or first-order consumers.