Mekong River Freshwater Food Web
Freshwater
Southeast Asia — China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
Description
The Mekong River is Southeast Asia's longest river, sustaining the world's largest inland fishery that feeds over 60 million people. Seasonal flood pulses inundate the Tonle Sap floodplain, creating one of the most productive freshwater ecosystems on Earth. The critically endangered Mekong giant catfish is the world's largest freshwater fish species.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Aquatic bacteria
Detritivorous catfish
Freshwater mussels
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Irrawaddy dolphin
Siamese crocodile
Fish eagle
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Snakehead fish
Asian water monitor
Cormorant
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Silver barb
Mekong giant catfish
Freshwater prawns
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Floodplain vegetation
Periphyton
Phytoplankton
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Tonle Sap flood pulse multiplies the lake area sixfold, creating massive fish nursery habitat
- Mekong giant catfish are herbivorous giants reaching 300 kg
- Dam construction fragments migratory fish routes, threatening the entire fishery
- Irrawaddy dolphins cooperate with fishermen by driving fish toward nets