1.9 trophic levels

producers our autotrophs

produce complex organic compounds from simple substances in the environment

photoautotrophs

use sunlight to produce food

chemoautotrophs

use chemicals tho produce food

consumers or heterotrophs

obtain their energy by consuming other organisms

herbivores

primary consumers;eat plants and algae

carnivores

secondary consumers;eat primarily consumers

tertiary consumers

eat secondary consumers

omnivores

operate on several trophic levels

trophic level

successive level of organisms consuming one another

scavengers

an organism that feeds on the dead bodies of other organisms.

detritivores

break down dead tissue and waste products into smaller particles

decomposers

convert organic matter into smaller elements and molecules that can be recycled,get their energy from nonliving organic matter

Saprotrophs

special decomposers that use enzymes to break down dead organism and then absorb the nutrients to obtain energy

biogeochemical cycles role in trophic levels

• nitrogen, phosphorus, etc flow through the trophic levels

• water cycle moves these nurtients

• nitrogen and phos are necessary and can be limiting factors