{"id":3388,"date":"2021-02-16T12:33:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T12:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guyhowto.com\/?p=3388"},"modified":"2021-05-08T19:38:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T19:38:21","slug":"trophic-levels-and-energy-variation-with-trophic-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guyhowto.com\/trophic-levels-and-energy-variation-with-trophic-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Trophic levels and Energy Variation with Trophic levels"},"content":{"rendered":"
Trophic Levels<\/strong><\/h5>\n

A trophic level is a group of organisms within an ecosystem<\/a> that occupy the same level in a food chain<\/a>. There are 5 main trophic levels within a food chain, each of which varies in its dietary relationship with the primary energy source. The primary energy source in any community is the Sun.<\/p>\n

The solar radiation from the Sun supplies the input of energy which is used by primary producers, likewise known as autotrophs. Primary producers are normally plants and algae, which perform photosynthesis<\/a> in order to produce their own food source. Primary producers comprise the first trophic level.<\/p>\n

The second trophic level includes herbivores, these organisms gain energy by eating primary producers and are called primary consumers.<\/p>\n

Trophic level three consists of predators and omnivores which eat herbivores; these are the secondary consumers.<\/p>\n

Trophic level four includes carnivores and omnivores which eat secondary consumers and are referred to as tertiary consumers.<\/p>\n

Trophic level five consists of apex predators; these animals have no natural predators and are therefore at the top of the food chain.<\/p>\n

Decomposers or detritivores are organisms that take in dead plant and animal material, transforming it into energy and nutrients that plants can use for effective growth. Although they do not fill an independent trophic level, decomposers and detritivores, such as fungi<\/a>, bacteria<\/a>, earthworms, and flies, recycle waste products from all other trophic levels and are a fundamental part of a functioning ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\"Trophic-Levels-2\"<\/p>\n

Energy Flow<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Energy flow is the circulation of energy through living things within an ecosystem. The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy needed by all living organisms. This energy is transferred to various trophic levels along the food chain. This energy circulation is based on two different laws of thermodynamics<\/a>:<\/p>\n