Assertion (A): Herbivores are referred to as primary consumers.
Reason (R): They obtain their food directly from plants.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Assertion (A): Herbivores are referred to as primary consumers. — True. A is about the trophic level of herbivores. Herbivores are called primary consumers; they occupy the second trophic level, just above the producers.
Reason (R): They obtain their food directly from plants. — True. R is about what herbivores eat. They feed directly on plants, the producers of the ecosystem.
Why R explains A? A consumer is called primary when it feeds directly on producers. Animals that eat the plant-eaters are secondary consumers. Because herbivores take their food straight from plants, they fall in the first consumer level. So R gives the reason for the name in A, and R is the correct explanation of A.
NCERT Extract:
Energy Flow – “… All animals depend on plants (directly or indirectly) for their food needs. They are hence called consumers and also heterotrophs. If they feed on the producers, the plants, they are called primary consumers, and if the animals eat other animals which in turn eat the plants (or their produce) they are called secondary consumers. Likewise, you could have tertiary consumers too. Obviously the primary consumers will be herbivores.”