Auxiliary Food Chains

In addition to grazing and detritus food chains there are other auxiliary food chains operated through parasites and scavengers. Some parasitic food chains may be quite complex and may involve unrelated organisms. A deer fed upon by internal roundworms and external ticks or a man with malarial parasites in his blood are examples of parasitic food chains. Often, parasitic relations are quite involved as parasites are transmitted through a variety of vectors or through unrelated intermediary host organisms. Like the other food chains, the ultimate source of energy for all auxiliary food chains is, solar energy originally harvested by plants.