Question: Which of the following is the first trophic level in the food chain?
A Producers
B Herbivores
C Carnivores
D Omnivores
Answer: Producers
| Trophic Level in food chain | Description | Examples |
| Zeroth Trophic Level or Abiotic | · This level includes non-living components of the ecosystem that provide the foundation for life. | · Sunlight as an energy source · Nutrients in the soil or water · Physical factors like temperature and pH |
| First Trophic Level (Producers or Autotrophs) | · Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
· They are usually at the base of the food chain. |
· Plants (e.g., grass, trees)
· Algae in aquatic ecosystems · Some bacteria and archaea |
| Primary Consumers (Herbivores) | · Organisms that consume producers as their primary food source.
· They are herbivores. |
· Deer
· Rabbits · Grazing insects (e.g., grasshoppers) |
| Secondary Consumers (Carnivores) | · Organisms that feed on primary consumers or other herbivores. They are carnivores. | · Wolves (preying on herbivores like deer)
· Snakes (eating herbivorous rodents) · Hawks (feeding on herbivorous birds) |
| Tertiary Consumers | · Organisms that consume secondary consumers.
· They are often top-level predators. |
· Lions (preying on carnivorous mammals like hyenas)
· Eagles (feeding on carnivorous birds) Humans (when they consume meat from herbivorous or carnivorous animals) |
| Detritivores and Decomposers | · Organisms that feed on dead organic matter and help in the process of decomposition.
· They play a crucial role in recycling nutrients. |
· Earthworms (detritivores)
· Bacteria and fungi (decomposers) · Vultures (feeding on carcasses) |
| Scavengers | · Organisms that primarily feed on animal carcasses, but they do not break down the dead matter as extensively as decomposers. | · Hyenas
· Buzzards · Crows |