Can you describe the trophic levels in a typical ecosystem?

Question

Aubrey Arnold · Accepted Answer

There are always primary producers at the bottom, and the rest are consumers.

First, as you can see, these organisms usually pass only 10% of their energy on to the next trophic level. This is due to each organism needing to perform its life processes, such as breathing, digesting, etc.

This diagram shows that primary producers get energy from the sun most of the time. The primary consumers eat the primary producers, providing for the secondary consumers. This continues on until the organisms die, and decomposers release the nutrients and give it back to the primary producers.

You can also see that the byproduct of all of the trophic levels is heat.

Emilia Aguirre · Answer

undefined The trophic levels in a typical ecosystem are:
1. Primary producers (plants, algae) 
2. Primary consumers (herbivores)
3. Secondary consumers (carnivores that eat herbivores)
4. Tertiary consumers (carnivores that eat other carnivores)
5. Decomposers (bacteria, fungi)