1. Feeding Levels and Trophic Levels

2. Trophic level refers to the organisms position in the food chain 1 st trophic level = autotrophs, producers(plants, etc.) 2 nd trophic level = herbivores or primary consumers 3 rd trophic level = carnivore and a secondary consumer. 4 th trophic level = tertiary consumer (top carnivore

3. Detritivores: Decomposers Feed off all trophic levels Feed on dead plants, dead animals and animal waste

4. Example of a food chain and the associated trophic (feeding) levels OrganismsGrassesGrasshopperLadybugRavenMushrooms Bacteria TypeProducer (plants) Primary Consumer (herbivore) Secondary Consumer (carnivores) Tertiary Consumer (top carnivore) Decomposer Trophic Levels FirstSecondThirdFourthFeed off all levels

5. ENERGY At each level of the food chain, about 90% of the energy is used by the organism Of the 90% a lot is used by the organism to stay alive and a lot is lost in thermal energy (heat) The total energy passed from one level to the next is only about one-tenth(1/10) of the energy received from the previous organism. As you move up the food chain, there is less energy available. Animals located at the top of the food chain need a lot more food to meet their energy needs.

7. The real world is more complicated than a simple food chain. A more realistic depiction of who eats whom is called a food web that depicts interlocking food chains.

8. What Eats What Activity