Ecological Hierarchy and Trophic Levels

Different levels of study

• organism
• population of interacting organisms of one species
• community - interacting species
• ecosystem - biological community and physical/chemical environment

Example of this with different trophic levels

• trophic levels are how they "feed" relative to the orignial energy source of the sun
• primary producers (plants)
• first level consumers (herbivores)
• second level consumers (carnivores)
• eating at multiple levels (omnivores)
• processing and recycling dead and waste material (detritivores)