Trophic levels and trophic pyramids

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What are trophic levels?

Back

Trophic levels are the hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, representing the flow of energy and nutrients from one level to the next, typically categorized as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

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What is a producer in an ecosystem?

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Producers are organisms, such as plants and algae, that create their own food through photosynthesis, forming the base of the trophic pyramid.

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What is a primary consumer?

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A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers; they are the first level of consumers in a food chain.

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What is a secondary consumer?

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A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers; they are typically carnivores or omnivores.

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What is a tertiary consumer?

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A tertiary consumer is an organism that eats secondary consumers; they are often apex predators in the food chain.

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What is an apex predator?

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An apex predator is a predator at the top of the food chain that has no natural enemies, such as a hawk or a lion.

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What is a trophic pyramid?

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A trophic pyramid is a graphical representation of the distribution of biomass, energy, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

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What does energy transfer efficiency refer to?

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Energy transfer efficiency refers to the percentage of energy that is passed from one trophic level to the next, typically around 10%.

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Why is there less biomass at higher trophic levels?

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There is less biomass at higher trophic levels because energy is lost to the environment at each level, primarily through metabolic processes and heat.

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What happens to energy as it moves up the trophic levels?

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As energy moves up the trophic levels, it decreases due to energy loss at each level, resulting in less energy available for higher levels.