A trophic level refers to the position of an organism in a food chain or food web, indicating its feeding relationships and energy transfer from one level to another.
Think of a trophic level like different floors in a building. Each floor represents a level in the food chain, with organisms on higher floors consuming those on lower floors, just like how people on upper floors receive energy indirectly from those on lower floors through elevators or stairs.
Producer: Organisms at the first trophic level that convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.
Primary Consumer: Organisms at the second trophic level that directly consume producers for energy.
Secondary Consumer: Organisms at the third trophic level that feed on primary consumers for energy.
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.