Trophic Levels
- Trophic levels describe the position of an organism in a food chain, web or pyramid
- Trophic levels can be represented by numbers, starting at level 1 with plants and algae. Further trophic levels are numbered subsequently according to how far the organism is along the food chain
Trophic levels table
- Energy flows from the Sun to the first trophic level (producers) in the form of light
- Producers convert light energy into chemical energy
- This occurs during photosynthesis, when producers convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen
- This chemical energy is then transferred to primary consumers as they consume (eat) producers
- The chemical energy is then transferred from one consumer to the next as they eat one another
- Apex predators are at the very top of the food chain – they are carnivores with no predators. The chemical energy stored within apex predators can be passed on to decomposers when apex predators die and are decomposed
Trophic levels for a simple food chain
Trophic levels for a simple food web – note that some organisms can belong to more than one trophic level (such as the squirrel, fox and eagle in this food web)