4.4 Trophic Levels

4.4 Trophic Levels

Recall the names given to different trophic levels to include producers, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers and decomposers

Trohpic- to feed. Recall the names given to different feeding levels

Carrot plant (photosynthesis) - carrot fly (herbivore) - flycatcher (carnivore) - top carnivore (eating the carnivore). Other names exist in ecology to describe the different feeding levels

Carrot plant: producer (turn light energy into chemical energy)

Carrot fly: primary consumer (takes in chemical energy of plant and turns it into the chemical energy of the fly. Changing the form of chemical energy)

Flycatcher: Secondary consumer (changing chemical energy from one form to another)

Sparrow Hawk: Tertiary consumer (eats secondary consumers, take in molecules from the fly catcher and then turn it into a more suitable molecule better adjusted to them)

At some stage all of the organisms die. They are then broken down by special organisms known as DECOMPOSERS. 2 examples of decomposers are fungi and bacteria. They are important as they recycle the molecule. They break down the more complex molecules (nitrates and phosphates)