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The concept of trophic levels and the roles of producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary/apex consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem. It includes an activity to help learners understand how energy moves through the trophic levels.
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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!
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