Trophic Levels

• What term is used for the stages in a food chain?

  • Trophic levels
• What is the name used to refer to the trophic level highlighted in the diagram above?

  Apex predator

  
• What is the name used to refer to the trophic level highlighted in the diagram above?

  Primary consumer 

  
• What is the name used to refer to the trophic level highlighted in the diagram above?

  Secondary consumer 

  
• Which trophic level contains secondary consumers?

  Trophic level 3
• What do the arrows in a food chain show?

  The transfer of energy & biomass
• What is an omnivore?

  An organism which eats both plants and animals
• What is a herbivore?

  An organism which eats only plants 
• What is a carnivore?

  An organism which eats only animals
• What must be true of a primary consumer?

  It eats plants or algae
• Why are food chains usually no longer than five or six trophic levels?

  Only ~10% of the energy and biomass is transferred between each level
• What is a decomposer?

  An organism that breaks down dead organisms 
• Which of the following are often decomposers?

  Fungi

  Bacteria
• Small animals like worms and woodlice that help to break down organic matter into smaller pieces are known as: 

  Detritivores