trophic levels

• Trophic levels


  The different levels within a food chain
• First trophic level


  Producers (plants or algae) that can use photosynthesis to produce their own food using energy from sunlight
• Second trophic level


  Primary consumers (herbivores) that consume producers
• Third trophic level


  Secondary consumers (carnivores) that consume primary consumers
• Fourth trophic level


  Tertiary consumers (carnivores) that consume secondary consumers
• Food chains in different ecosystems can have different numbers of trophic levels, usually no more than 4 or 5
• Energy gets lost as you go up trophic levels, with only about 10% of energy passed on to the next level
• Apex predators


  Carnivores at the very top of the food chain who don't have any predators
• Omnivores


  Organisms that eat both producers and other animals, usually placed in trophic level 3
• Decomposers and detritivores

  Organisms like bacteria, fungi, and small animals that help decompose dead plant and animal matter, recycling nutrients back into the ground for producers