Question

Which of the following animals feed on several trophic levels?
A) A carnivore
B) An omnivore
C) A primary consumer
D) An herbivore
E) A primary producer

Answer 1

Hint: Trophic level is the position that an animal occupies in a food chain. The food chain begins with the primary producers and ends with the microorganisms. The primary consumers depend on the producers and the secondary producers feed on the primary consumers. An example of animals which feed on several trophic levels are humans, birds etc.

Complete answer:
A Food chain is a series which represents the interaction of organisms in which the transfer of matter and energy take place in the form of food. The food chain comprises several trophic levels which are basically the position the animal occupies in a food chain.
i) Primary Producer- They are the plants which produce food or convert the solar energy into chemical energy. They occupy the lowest level in the food chain.
ii) Primary consumers- These are the herbivores which only eat plants and are dependent on the producers. Example deer. Omnivores are also considered as the primary consumers as they also eat plants.
iii) Secondary consumers- These are the carnivores (animals which feed on other animals) and the omnivores which eat or feed on the primary consumers. Example bear, tiger
iv) Decomposers- These are the organisms which feed on the dead remains. Example crow, hawk, and microorganisms.

Since omnivores feed both producers and primary consumers like humans, birds etc, we can say that the correct answer is ‘B’.

Note: Energy in the form of heat is lost at each trophic level. Only 10 percent of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level. Several food chains intertwine among themselves as many animals feed on several different organisms.