Class 12 · Ecosystem

Trophic Levels & Functional Positions — NEET Biology

📚 Practice Concept
📖 NCERT Source

Any calculations of energy content, biomass or numbers, has to include all organisms at that trophic level. No generalisations we make will be true if we take only a few individuals at any trophic level into account. Also a given organism may occupy more than one trophic level simultaneously. One must remember that the trophic level represents a functional level, not a species as such. A given species may occupy more than one trophic level in the same ecosystem at the same time; for example, a sparrow is a primary consumer when it eats seeds, fruits, peas, and a secondary consumer when it eats insects and worms. Can you work out how many trophic levels human beings function at in a food chain?

NCERT Biology · Class 12 · Chapter 12 · Paragraph 31
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QuestionPractice Question

How can some organisms occupy more than one trophic level in an ecosystem?

📖 Solution & NCERT Explanation
View solution & NCERT explanation

Correct answer: C They are omnivores feeding at multiple levels

A sparrow can be a primary consumer (eating seeds) and secondary consumer (eating insects).

❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does NCERT say about Any calculations energy content?
Any calculations of energy content, biomass or numbers, has to include all organisms at that trophic level. No generalisations we make will be true if we take only a few individuals at any trophic level into account.
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
Practice this NCERT concept with questions on MedicNEET.
Which chapter is this from?
Ecosystem, Class 12 NCERT Biology.

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