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Trophic Training
A trophic level is a way of classifying where
an animal falls on the food web in their
environment. In other words, it describes
what type of foods a plant or animal eats and
where they fit in their environment. Today we
are looking at five primary classes of
consumer: producers, primary consumers,
secondary consumers, tertiary/apex
consumers, and decomposers. Most plants fall
in the producers category, as they
photosynthesize their own food from the
energy they get from the sun. Primary
consumers eat the plants, they are generally
herbivores like giraffes, cows, gazelle, and
similar creatures. Secondary consumers
tend to fit in the middle of their food webs,
like otters, foxes, and peccaries to name a few. Secondary consumers can be omnivores or carnivores
but are also prey for larger predators. Tertiary or apex consumers sit at the top of their food webs, and
have very few, if any, natural predators. A few examples of tertiary consumers are bald eagles,
Sumatran tigers, Mexican grey wolves, and alligators. Lastly, decomposers are animals that consume
and break down dead or dying organic materials. Vultures, cockroaches, and mushrooms are a few
examples of decomposers. Let's act out different behaviors that demonstrate how energy moves
through the trophic levels!
Time needed: 5-10 mins
What You’ll Need: All you need for this activity is your imagination!
Directions
1. First, pretend to be a mesquite tree (producer). With your feet together stretch your arms up,
and then to the sides as if you were growing branches, and absorbing energy from the sun.
2. Then the wind starts blowing, wave your branches (arms) around as if the wind is blowing. The
wind has blown some seed pods from your branches.
