Final answer:
In the food chain presented, the snake is the secondary consumer as it consumes the rabbit, which is the primary consumer feeding on the aspen, a primary producer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The organism that is the secondary consumer in a given food chain can be identified based on its dietary habits. In a basic food chain that includes Aspen (a plant), Rabbit (primary consumer that eats plants), Snake (which eats primary consumers), and Hawk (which eats secondary consumers), the secondary consumer is typically a carnivore that feeds on primary consumers. Therefore, in this food chain, the snake is the secondary consumer because it consumes the rabbit, the primary consumer.
In this food chain, the rabbit is the secondary consumer. The primary consumers are the aspen gene, which is a producer, and the rabbit consumes the primary consumer. The snake, on the other hand, consumes the secondary consumer, which makes it a tertiary consumer. The hawk, being at the top of the food chain, is the apex consumer.