These are called primary consumers, or herbivores. The second trophic level consists of organisms that eat the producers. For example, bacteria living in active volcanoes use sulfur compounds to produce their own food. Phytoplankton, tiny organisms that live in the ocean, are also autotrophs. Algae, whose larger forms are known as seaweed, are autotrophic. Plants are the most familiar type of autotroph, but there are many other kinds. Nearly all autotrophs use a process called photosynthesis to create “food” (a nutrient called glucose) from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Autotrophs are usually plants or one-celled organisms. They make up the first level of every food chain. Producers, also known as autotrophs, make their own food. Roughly speaking, these levels are divided into producers (first trophic level), consumers (second, third, and fourth trophic levels), and decomposers. Trophic Levels Organisms in food chains are grouped into categories called trophic levels. All of the interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web. Each of these living things can be a part of multiple food chains. Foxes, in turn, can eat many types of animals and plants. Of course, many different animals eat grass, and rabbits can eat other plants besides grass. When the fox dies, bacteria break down its body, returning it to the soil where it provides nutrients for plants like grass. For example, grass produces its own food from sunlight. Each food chain is a possible pathway that energy and nutrients can follow through the ecosystem. Every living thing-from one-celled algae to giant blue whales-needs food to survive. The food chain describes who eats whom in the wild.
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