* Directly Independent: This is true for most animals. They actively hunt, gather, or graze for their food. Think lions hunting zebras, birds eating insects, and cows grazing on grass.
* Indirectly Dependent: This applies to animals that rely on other organisms for food, but those organisms themselves are directly independent. For example:
* Scavengers: Animals like vultures and hyenas feed on the carcasses of dead animals.
* Parasites: Animals like fleas and tapeworms live on or in other organisms and obtain nutrients from them.
* Decomposers: While not technically animals, decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the environment that other organisms, including animals, can then use.
The key takeaway: While all animals ultimately depend on plants for their food source (either directly or indirectly), they have different strategies for getting it.
To summarize:
* Most animals are directly independent for their food.
* Some animals are indirectly dependent, relying on other organisms that are directly independent for food.