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Biodiversity and trophic levels

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What are the three trophic levels in an ecosystem # What are the three trophic levels and give an example of each.

# What trophic level do you think is the most important in the ecosystem and why?
# What is biodiversity? Is it important? Relate biodiversity to the trophic levels.
# What would happen to the rest of the trophic levels if one them was wiped out?

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Solution Summary

Trophic levels in ecosystem are categorised on the basis of feeding behaviour of organisms. Biodiversity in any ecosystem is correlated with the status of the trophic level. Loss of any one trophic level in ecosystem will create an ecological imbalance. Immediate effect would be on the food chain resulting into drastic increase or decrease in the number of individuals of other trophic levels.

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The three trophic levels in ecosystems are - Autotrophs, Herbivores and Carnivores. Green Theses are often called as 1st, 2nd and 3rd trophic respectively. Green plants occupy the 1st trophic level, called the producer or autotrophs. Plant grazers occupy the 2nd trophic level called the primary consumer or herbivores (rabbits, rodents, deer cattle etc). Flesh eaters which eat herbivores form the 3rd trophic level called the secondary consumer or carnivore.

The 1st trophic level or autotrophs are the most important in the ecosystem. It is responsible for the fixation of the solar energy and accumulation of the biomass. Finally, this biomass supports the rest of the tropic level as energy is transferred through the successive trophic level ...

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