Trophic Levels
- Trophic levels describe the position of an organism in a food chain, web or pyramid
- Animals (known as consumers) can be at different trophic levels within the same food web as they may eat both primary, secondary and/or tertiary consumers
- Energy flows from the Sun to the first trophic level (producers) in the form of light
- Producers convert light energy into chemical energy and it flows in this form from one consumer to the next
- Eventually, all energy is transferred to the environment – energy is passed on from one level to the next with some being used and lost at each stage
- Energy flow is a non-cyclical process – once the energy gets to the top of the food chain or web, it is not recycled but ‘lost’ to the environment
- This is in direct contrast to the chemical elements that organisms are made out of, which are repeatedly recycled
Trophic Levels Table
Trophic level | Reason |
Producers | They produce their organic nutrients usually using energy from the Sun |
Primary consumers | Herbivores - they feed on producers (plants) |
Secondary consumers | Predators that feed on primary consumers |
Tertiary consumers | Predators that feed on secondary consumers |
Quaternary consumers | Predators that feed on tertiary consumers |