Trophic level

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/trophic-level

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ecological pyramids?Illustrate decreasing biomass, numbers, and energy at successively higher trophic levels
2. What is the decomposers' role?Essential for nutrient cycling by breaking down dead organic matter
3. Why does the food pyramid look like a pyramid?Because only about 10% of the energy moves from one level to the next, so there are fewer animals and less food higher up, making the pyramid shape.
4. How do food webs keep ecosystems stable?Food webs connect many food chains, so if one food source disappears, animals can eat another, which helps prevent big crashes in the population.

Autotroph: An organism that produces its own food, typically using light or chemical energy.
Biomass: The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.
Bioaccumulation: The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, in an organism.
Biomagnification: The increasing concentration of a substance, like toxins, in organisms at successively higher trophic levels.