Organisms:Consumers
Consumers in the deciduous forest biome have the ability to adjust to the hot summers and the cold winters. The animals have many adaptations such as hibernating and migratory patterns to avoid the resource scarce winters. Most consumers are mammals and birds with fewer reptiles and amphibious creatures. There are three trophic levels of consumers: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary consumers include herbivores that feed of the fourth and fifth plant levels. These animals have adaptations that allow them to consume plants with ease and avoid predation.(10) Primary consumer population in Acadia National Park include the: eastern cottontail, Eurasian red squirrel, European hedgehog, and muskrat. These animals are herbivores and do not prey on other animals. Secondary consumers prey on the primary consumers and have a slightly lower biomass than the primary consumers. Foxes, birds, and opossums are examples of secondary consumers. These animals may eat some shrubs but their main source of energy comes from the primary consumers. The tertiary consumers feed on the secondary and occasionally the primary consumers. Mammals such as the American Black bear are omnivores and will be found also eating producers while they are tertiary consumers. Tertiary consumers account for the least amount of biomass in Acadia National Park. Examples of tertiary consumers are the: black bear, American bald eagle, mountain lion, brown bear, coyote, and the northern copperhead. The ecosystem of this biome is very rich and healthy with a majority of the biomass on the bottom of the food pyramid and the least atop the pyramid. (10