Trophic levels

4.4 recall the names given to different trophic levels to include producers, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers and decomposers.

Trophic = feed

Photosynthesis --------> Herbivore --------> Carnivore --------> Top Carnivore

Words used in ecology:

1. Producer - transforming light energy into chemical energy
2. Primary Consumer - Takes the chemical energy of the plant and turns it into chemical energy of the fly. It changes the form of the chemical energy
3. Secondary Consumer - "                          "
4. Tertiary consumer - Taking in the molecules from the secondary consumer and turning them into molecules suitable for the tertiary consumer.

At some point all of these die.After they are dead, they are broken down by a special group of organisms called DECOMPOSERS

e.g. Fungi and bacteria - important in the recycling of molecules often breaking down the complex molecules into nitrates and phosphates.