Ecology

Tertiary consumer

tertiary consumer. noun, Ecology. a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers.

Food web

A food web (or food cycle) is the natural interconnection of food chains and generally a graphical representation (usually an image) of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is a consumer-resource system.

Autotroph

An autotroph or producer, is an organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple substances present in its surroundings, generally using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions.

Detrivore

Detritivores, also known as detritophages, detritus feeders, detritus eaters, or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus. There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants that carry out coprophagy. Wikipedia

Heterotroph

Heterotroph is a organism that can't control carbon and uses organic carbon for growth

Primary consumer

Next come organisms that eat the autotrophs; these organisms are called herbivores or primary consumers -- an example is a rabbit that eats grass. The next link in the chain is animals that eat herbivores - these are called secondary consumers -- an example is a snake that eat rabbits.

Secondary consumer

Primary consumers are animals that eat primary producers; they are also called herbivores (plant-eaters). Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. They are carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores (animals that eat both animals and plants).

Quaternary consumer

Quaternary consumers eat the tertiary consumers and are carnivores. The quaternary consumer in the picture is the hawk. In this picture, the food chain ends with the hawk, which claims the title as the top carnivore.

Trophic level

The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food chain. The word trophic derives from the Greek τροφή (trophē) referring to food or feeding. A food chain represents a succession of organisms that eat another organism and are, in turn, eaten themselves.