4b - Feeding Relationships

Apex Predator

顶级捕食者 (dǐngjí bǔshízhě) A carnivore at the top of a food chain or food web that has no natural predators in its ecosystem.

Carnivore

食肉动物 (shíròu dòngwù) An animal that feeds primarily or exclusively on other animals (meat).

Decomposer

分解者 (fēnjiězhě) Organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) that break down dead organic matter (from all trophic levels), returning nutrients to the ecosystem. (Essential, though not always shown in simple food chains).

Food chain

食物链 (shíwùliàn) A diagram showing the flow of energy from one organism to another as they are eaten, starting with a producer and followed by a series of consumers.

Food web

食物网 (shíwùwǎng) A diagram showing interconnected food chains, illustrating the complex feeding relationships and multiple pathways of energy flow within an ecosystem.

Herbivore

食草动物 (shícǎo dòngwù) An animal that feeds exclusively on plants (producers). A type of primary consumer.

Omnivore

杂食动物 (záshí dòngwù) An animal that eats both plants (producers) and other animals (consumers).

Primary consumer

初级消费者 (chūjí xiāofèizhě) An organism (typically a herbivore) that feeds directly on producers (plants or algae). The second trophic level in a food chain.

Producer

生产者 (shēngchǎnzhě) An organism (usually a plant or alga) that can make its own food (organic compounds) from inorganic sources, typically through photosynthesis. Forms the base (first trophic level) of a food chain.

Pyramid of biomass

生物量金字塔 (shēngwùliàng jīnziìtǎ) A diagram representing the total dry mass (biomass) of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem. It typically shows a decrease in biomass at successively higher trophic levels.

Pyramid of numbers

数量金字塔 (shùliàng jīnziìtǎ) A diagram representing the number of individual organisms present at each trophic level in an ecosystem at a particular time. Can sometimes be inverted (e.g., one large tree supporting many insects).

Quaternary consumer

四级消费者 (sìjí xiāofèizhě) An organism that feeds on tertiary consumers. The fifth trophic level in a food chain.

Secondary consumer

次级消费者 (cìjí xiāofèizhě) An organism (typically a carnivore or omnivore) that feeds on primary consumers. The third trophic level in a food chain.

Tertiary consumer

三级消费者 (sānjí xiāofèizhě) An organism (typically a carnivore) that feeds on secondary consumers. The fourth trophic level in a food chain.

Trophic level

营养级 (yíngyǎngjí) The position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web, determined by its feeding relationships (e.g., producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer). Energy is transferred between trophic levels.

Pyramid of energy

能量金字塔 (néngliàng jīnziìtǎ) A diagram representing the total amount of energy present at each trophic level in an ecosystem over a period of time. It always shows a decrease in energy at successively higher trophic levels (due to energy loss).