Final answer:
When a person eats a steak, at least three tropic levels are involved: producers such as grass (1st level), primary consumers like cattle (2nd level), and the person as a secondary consumer (3rd level).
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of how many trophic levels are represented in a food chain when a person eats a steak can be answered by understanding how energy flows through an ecosystem.
The different feeding positions in a food chain, known as trophic levels, start with producers at the first level, followed by primary consumers, secondary consumers, and sometimes tertiary consumers. In the context of eating a steak, the primary consumer would be the herbivore, such as cattle, that feeds on producers like grass.
When humans eat the steak, they are acting asphic levels are involved: the producer (grass), the primary consumer (cattle), and the secondary consumer (human). Due to energy loss at each level and to decomposers, food chains typically have a maximum of four to five trophic levels. In the given example, humans fall within the third trophic level when consuming steak.