4.4 Trophic Levels

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


-trophic- to feed.
-carrot plant- doing photosynthesis    PRODUCER
-carrotfly- eating carrot plant- herbivore  PRIMARY CONSUMER
-flycatcher- eating the carrotfly- carnivore  SECONDARY CONSUMER
-sparrow hawk- eating the flycatcher- top carnivore  TERTIARY CONSUMER

-producer turning light energy to chemical energy.
-primary consumer takes in the chemical energy of the plant and turns it into chemical energy of the fly. changing the form of the chemical energy
-secondary consumer changing the chemical energy from one form to the other.
-tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumer, taking in the molecules of the fly catcher and turning them into the molecules suitable for the sparrow hawk.

- all of the organisms die at some stage.
-they are broken down by special organisms called decomposers. eg. fungi and bacteria.
-important in the recycling of molecules.
-often breaking down complex molecules into nitrates and phosphates.