Trophic Levels
Trophic levels are the positions organisms occupy in a food chain based on how they
obtain energy. Each level represents a step in the flow of energy and nutrients within an
ecosystem.
Producers (1st Trophic Level): Autotrophs such as
plants and algae that make their own food using
sunlight through photosynthesis.
Primary Consumers (2nd Trophic Level): Herbivores
that eat producers.
Secondary Consumers (3rd Trophic Level):
Carnivores that eat herbivores.
Tertiary Consumers (4th Trophic Level): Carnivores
that eat other carnivores.
Decomposers: Organisms like fungi and bacteria that
break down dead organisms, recycling nutrients into
the ecosystem. They operate across all levels.
Food Chain
A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass
as one organism eats another. It is a simplified model of energy flow.
Key Features:
• Shows Direct Feeding Relationships: Each organism eats the one before it, forming a
straight energy path.
• Usually 3–5 Trophic Levels: Most food chains have 3–5 steps: producers →
consumers → top predators.
• Energy Decreases Up the Chain: Only 10% of energy moves to the next level; the rest
is lost.
Food Web
A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. It
provides a more accurate representation of how organisms feed and interact.
Key Features:
• Reflects Biodiversity and Stability: Food webs show many species and how they
connect, revealing a healthy, balanced ecosystem.
• Shows Multiple Feeding Relationships: Unlike food
chains, food webs display how organisms eat and are
eaten by many others.
• Organisms Can Occupy Multiple Trophic Levels: Some
animals eat at different levels—like an omnivore eating
both plants and animals.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Energy flow in ecosystems refers to how energy is captured, transferred, and lost
between organisms at different trophic levels. It is a fundamental principle that governs
the structure and dynamics of all ecosystems.
The primary source of energy for most ecosystems is the sun. Plants and other
autotrophs capture this energy through photosynthesis, converting it into
chemical energy stored in glucose.
Energy is passed from producers to consumers (herbivores, then carnivores) and
finally to decomposers.
At each trophic level, organisms use energy for vital activities such as movement,
growth, reproduction, and maintaining homeostasis.
Energy Loss:
Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed to the next. This is
known as the 10% Rule.
The remaining 90% is lost mostly as heat due to metabolic processes such as
respiration.
Pyramid Models:
These pyramids help visualize the relationships between trophic levels in terms of
energy, biomass, and organism numbers.
Energy Pyramid:
This pyramid shows the flow of energy from one
trophic level to the next. It is always upright because
energy is lost at each level, primarily as heat. The
base (producers) has the highest energy content,
while apex predators at the top have the least.
Biomass Pyramid:
It Represents the total mass of living organisms at each trophic level. In most
ecosystems, it is upright, indicating a large biomass of producers supporting
smaller biomass at higher levels. However, it may be inverted
Pyramid of Numbers:
It Illustrates the number of individual organisms at each trophic level. It can be
upright or inverted depending on the ecosystem structure. For example, a single
tree (producer) may support thousands of herbivorous insects (primary
consumers), creating an inverted pyramid.
