5.1.11

Trophic Levels

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Food Chains and Trophic Levels

Food chains show feeding relationships and energy flows within a biological community. An organism’s trophic level describes where it fits into a food chain. Trophic levels are given numbers:

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Food chain: level 1

  • At the base of all food chains, there are green plants and algae.
  • These are called producers and use light energy from the Sun to synthesise (make) their own food.
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Food chain: level 2

  • Herbivores that eat green plants and/or algae are called primary consumers.
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Food chain: level 3

  • Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.
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Food chain: level 4

  • Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.

Jump to other topics

1The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3Organism Functions

3.1Respiration

3.2Gas Exchange

3.3Transport

3.4Excretion

3.5Coordination & Response

4Reproduction & Inheritance

5Ecology

6Biological Resources

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