Question

What is the fourth trophic level called?
(a) Producer
(b) Primary consumer
(c) Secondary consumer
(d) Tertiary consumer

Answer 1

Hint: Organisms that come under this type of consumer may feed on secondary consumers, which in turn may eat primary consumers. Thus, it is also known as the third consumer. Examples of such animals are snakes, foxes, eagles, etc.

Complete answer:
When we go through the hint we can answer the question by saying that the fourth trophic level in an ecosystem is called a tertiary consumer. The ecosystem is the functional unit of nature in which all the living organisms interact among themselves and also with their surrounding physical environment. Within an ecosystem, a linear chain of links in a food web beginning from producers and ending in predator species is called a ‘food chain’.
Now let's try understanding a trophic level.
According to the source of nutrition or food, every organism has a specific place in the food chain. This particular place or level is known as their ‘trophic level’. There exist different trophic levels in an ecosystem called primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer.
-First trophic level: Primary producers occupy the first trophic level.
-Second trophic level: This level is formed by primary consumers. It includes herbivores.
-Third trophic level: This level is occupied by secondary consumers. It includes carnivores.
-Fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers come under the fourth trophic level of the food chain and are constituted by the top carnivores.
So, the correct answer is ‘tertiary consumer.’

Note: -The first trophic level is primarily occupied by phytoplankton and plants (grass and trees).
-The second trophic level includes all the animals which feed on the primary producers that are plants and phytoplankton.
-The third trophic level is formed by animals like birds, fishes, and sometimes wolves.
-The fourth trophic level includes man, animals like lion and tiger.