Question

A young crocodile has eaten a lamb. A hawk attacks the crocodile and consumes the same. In ecological terms, the hawk is
A. Producer
B. Primary consumer
C. Secondary consumer
D. Tertiary consumer.

Answer 1

Hint: The sequence of organisms that forms a linear network by which energy and nutrients are passed from one organism to another is called the good chain. The food chain is dependent upon the food and feeder relationship. The food chain is categorized into four levels, named trophic level or producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer. When one organism eats the other organism, then only the energy and nutrients can pass from one level to another level of the food chain.

Complete answer:
The producer is usually autotrophs that can synthesize their food by the process called photosynthesis. Example: plants.
Primary consumer: Primary consumers are those organisms that take the producers as their food is called a primary consumer. Primary consumers are mostly herbivores. The best example of a primary consumer is ruminants. Ruminants involve cows, goats, sheep, etc.
Secondary consumer: when primary consumers are taken as the food by some other animals are known as the secondary consumer. These secondary consumers are mainly carnivorous animals. In the grassland, deer eat grass and plants as their food and tiger eat the deer. In this food, chain deer is the primary consumer and the tiger is the secondary consumer.
Tertiary consumers: tertiary consumers are those who take secondary consumers as their food. Tertiary consumers are mainly higher carnivorous animals. In the given question a lamb is eaten by a young crocodile and then the crocodile is consumed by a Hawk. In this condition lamb is the primary consumer, the crocodile is the secondary consumer and the hawk is the tertiary consumer.
So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note:
The intricate relationship between the organisms of an ecosystem can be obtained from the food chain. The food chain is essential for the survival of every species of the ecosystem. If any of the levels of the food chain is hampered by any reason it leads to disbalance of the whole ecosystem.