trophic

Everyday

1. (science) To do with food and feeding, especially who eats whom in nature. tree →
2. In "trophic level": the step or position a living thing has in a food chain, such as plant, plant-eater or meat-eater. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on food chains and food webs, trophic levels go from producers (plants) to primary consumers (herbivores) to secondary and tertiary consumers (predators). Energy is lost at each trophic level, so there are fewer animals at the top. A "trophic cascade" is when removing or adding a top predator, like wolves in Yellowstone, changes the whole ecosystem.

Examples

• Plants are at the first trophic level. tree →
• Rabbits eat grass, so they are on the second trophic level. tree →
• Foxes are on a higher trophic level than rabbits. tree →
• Only about a tenth of the energy passes to the next trophic level. tree →
• Bringing wolves back to Yellowstone caused a trophic cascade. tree →
• Draw a pyramid to show the trophic levels. tree →

Note

Only an adjective, used in science. Pronounced TROF-ik or TROH-fik. From Greek "trophe", food. Maths in science: if each trophic level passes on about 10 percent of energy, then 1,000 units of plant energy give about 100 for herbivores and about 10 for carnivores.