Question

A producer and primary consumer are at the bottom of the food chain. What comes next in the food chain

a) Secondary consumer
b) Tertiary consumer
c) Decomposer
d) Apex predator

Answer 1

After producers and primary consumers, the secondary consumers, usually carnivores that eat herbivores, come next in the food chain. Secondary consumers are followed by tertiary consumers, and then possibly by apex predators at the top of the food chain.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an ecosystem, following the primary consumers (herbivores), the next level in the food chain is typically the secondary consumers. These secondary consumers are usually carnivores that feed on the herbivores. As we move further up the food chain, the tertiary consumers come into play, which are carnivores that ingest other carnivores. Therefore, after producers and primary consumers, the next in the food chain is secondary consumer.

It's important to note that the terms are related to trophic levels, reflecting the consumer's position in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. Decomposers are another essential part of the ecosystem but operate outside the traditional linear model of food chains, breaking down dead organisms at all trophic levels.