Sundarbans-Adjacent Aquaculture Food Web
Agricultural
Coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal, India
Description
Shrimp aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh and India create simplified food webs adjacent to the Sundarbans mangroves. Supplemental feeds and fertilizers replace natural productivity, while escaped shrimp and effluent interact with wild mangrove food webs. These modified systems illustrate how agricultural intensification alters trophic structure.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Pond bacteria
Benthic detritivores
Fungi
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Fishing cat
White-bellied sea eagle
2 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Mud crab
Snakehead fish
Kingfisher
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Black tiger shrimp
Milkfish
Zooplankton
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Cultured microalgae
Lab-lab periphyton
Supplemental feed
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Supplemental feeds introduce external nutrients into the aquaculture food web
- Escaped shrimp interact with wild populations through competition and disease
- Kingfishers and herons exploit concentrated prey in aquaculture ponds
- Effluent discharge links aquaculture food webs to mangrove ecosystems