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Trophic Level

Key Stage 4

Meaning

A trophic level is an organism's stage in a food chain.

About Trophic Levels

The trophic levels are:

  1. Producers - Organisms which made their own food by photosynthesis.
  2. Primary Consumers - Herbivores that eat producers.
  3. Secondary Consumers - Carnivores or omnivores that eat the primary consumers.
  4. Tertiary Consumers - Carnivores or omnivores which eat secondary consumers. These are often called apex predators which are not hunted by another organism.
FoodChain6.png
In this food chain the grass is the first trophic level (a producer). The grasshopper, pied flycatcher, skunk and vulture are all consumers. The vulture is also the last trophic level and a top carnivore. It is not an apex predator because it does not hunt for prey, it is a scavenger.

References

AQA

Trophic level, pages 323, 330-1, 360, GCSE Biology; Student Book, Collins, AQA
Trophic levels, pages 120-122, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
Trophic levels, pages 287-94, GCSE Biology, Hodder, AQA
Trophic levels, pages 300-303, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
Trophic levels, pages 353, 355, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA

Edexcel

Trophic levels, page 178, GCSE Biology, Pearson, Edexcel
Trophic levels, page 97, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
Trophic levels, pages 289, 290, GCSE Biology, CGP, Edexcel

OCR

Trophic levels, page 62, Gateway GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, OCR
Trophic levels, pages 136-139, Gateway GCSE Biology, Oxford, OCR