Food Webs and Trophic Structures

Question 1

Define the term ‘food web’.

Answer 1

A complex network of interconnecting and interlapping food chains showing feeding relationships within a community
They are how every living organism in an ecosystem is linked together

Question 2

Define the term ‘trophic structure’.

Answer 2

Describes the system or organization of organisms into different trophic levels based on the amount of energy the organism consumes

Question 3

What are the different levels in a trophic structure?

Answer 3

1. Sun
2. Primary producers
3. Primary consumers
4. Secondary consumers
5. Tertiary consumers

Question 4

What part does the sun play in a trophic structure?

Answer 4

Serves as the foundation of the food web
Essential for photosynthesis
Without it plants die

Question 5

What part do primary producers play in a trophic structure?

Answer 5

Primary producers are plants
Converts energy from the sun into useable energy for other organisms

Question 6

What part do primary consumers play in a trophic structure?

Answer 6

Consume primary producers
Herbivores
Are consumed by secondary consumers

Question 7

What part do secondary consumers play in a trophic structure?

Answer 7

Consume primary consumers
Carnivores, Insectivores, and Omnivores
Are consumed by tertiary consumers

Question 8

What part do tertiary consumers play in a trophic structure?

Answer 8

Consume secondary consumers
Carnivores otherwise known as apex predators
When they die, they are consumed by scavengers and decomposers
Their dead and decaying flesh can serve as fertiliser for plants, primary producers