Food web/chain terms

• food chain - a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another
• food web - a complex network of interconnecting and overlapping food chains showing feeding relationships within a community
• producer - organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis
• primary consumer - organism that feeds on producers e.g. herbivores
• secondary consumer - organism that feeds on primary consumers e.g. carnivores
• apex predator - a predator at the top of the food chain, the highest trophic level, without any natural predators
• trophic level - a level or position in a food chain, food web or ecosystem pyramid