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Introduction
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Food Chain
What role do
Halobacteria play in the food chain?
- Although
the food chain in salt ponds is relatively simple, many questions remain
on the role of Halobacteria.
- Brine
shrimp (such as Artemia
fransiscana) are indiscriminate filter feeders. In addition to such organisms as green
algae and diatoms, they probably consume Halobacteria that are available in their environment.
- Birds
such as flamingos get their pink pigmentation from the food they
consume. (Without external
sources of the pigments, they would be gray or white, which is why zoos
often supplement their food with food coloring). Flamingos are indiscriminate filter
feeders and will turn their beaks upside down and sieve out their meals
from the brackish water they live in.
They consume organisms such as brine shrimp and probably any Halobacteria they may run across.
So, a potential, simple Halophilic
Food Chain may look something like this:
 Halobacteria
¯
 Brine shrimp
¯
 Flamingos (which get their pink color from
their food)
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