Most animals and plants are part of more than one food chain. If one part of a food chain alters, the whole food chain is affected. For example, if a disease suddenly wiped out caterpillars, it would affect mice, owls and many other animals.
This phylum consists of the jellyfish, hydra, sea anemones, corals, sea pens, sea wasps, and box jellyfish. There are about 9,000 species. Almost all are marine. This is another ancient group, with fossils perhaps reaching back to 700 mya.
Porifera, also known as sponges, are the types of phylum that live underwater. This phylum is different from other types because the porifera has many cells that cover their exoskeleton. These cells each have different types of functions.