1.9 Trophic Levels
Do three things: a photo challenge, a hands-on lab, and a quick check.
Unit 1 · Topic 1.9
Can an ecosystem exist without sunlight?
Do 1What is its role?
Look at the organism. Pick its role.
Do 2Follow the energy
Do 3Quick check
Your topic score
Key terms
- Producer
- Makes its own food from sunlight (photosynthesis) or chemicals (chemosynthesis).
- Primary consumer
- An herbivore that eats producers.
- Secondary consumer
- Eats primary consumers.
- Tertiary consumer
- Eats secondary consumers.
- Decomposer
- Bacteria and fungi that break down dead matter.
- Detritivore
- An animal that eats dead matter in pieces, such as an earthworm.
- Chemosynthesis
- Making food from chemical energy, found near deep-sea vents.
Photo credits
- Adelie penguin, Antarctica. Photo: Christopher.Michel (CC BY 2.0)
- Sunlight through leaves. Photo: planes, space, nature (Public domain)
- Lion in dry grass. Photo: George M. Groutas (CC BY 2.0)
- Mushrooms on the forest floor. Photo: Rawpixel (CC0)
- Sunrise over savanna, Kenya. Photo: Ray in Manila (CC BY 2.0)
- Tube worms at a hydrothermal vent. Photo: NOAA Photo Library (CC BY 2.0)
- Earthworm in soil. Photo: Rawpixel (CC0)
- Zebra grazing. Photo: freedom-studios (CC BY 2.0)
Photos are public domain, CC0, or CC BY. Diagrams and data are original to Green Flask Science.
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