Final answer:
The statement about carnivores eating herbivores being fifth-level consumers is false. Carnivores that eat herbivores are typically secondary consumers. Apex consumers sit at the top of the food chain, regardless of which level they occupy.option b is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that carnivores (meat-eaters) which eat herbivores (plant-eaters) are called fifth-level consumers is false.
In many ecosystems, we start with primary producers, which are typically plants or phytoplankton. Then come the herbivores or primary consumers that feed on the producers. Next in line are the secondary consumers, often carnivores that consume the primary consumers (herbivores). Following them are the tertiary consumers, which are generally carnivores that eat other carnivores.
Finally, we have the quaternary consumers and, in some cases, quinary consumers, but these are less common and depend on the particular ecosystem. The apex consumers are at the top of this food chain, not necessarily the fifth level, and they are not defined by eating herbivores but by having no natural predators.