Terminology Related to Food Chain

Food Chain: A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms  and ending at apex predator species or decomposerspecies (such as fungi or bacteria).


Herbivore - an animal that eats plants.

Carnivore - an animal that eats other animals.

Omnivore - an animal that eats both plants and animals eg bears and humans. 

Producer - usually a green plant that produces its own food by photosynthesis.

Primary Consumer - Animals that consume only plant matter. They are herbivores - eg rabbits, caterpillars, cows, sheep, and deer.

Secondary Consumer - Animals that eat primary consumers (herbivores).

Tertiary Consumer - Animals that eat secondary consumers ie carnivores that feed on other carnivores.


Predators - kill for food. They are either secondary or tertiary consumers - eg polar bears, golden eagles

Prey - are the organisms that predators feed on. Examples of predator and prey species are: fox and rabbit; blue tit and caterpillar; wolf and lamb.

Scavenger - a consumer that eats dead animals (e.g. crab, crow, vulture, buzzard and hyena.

Detritivore - a consumer that obtains its nutrients from detritus.

Decomposer - an organism such as bacteria and fungi that breaks down dead organisms and their wastes. . (They do not 'eat' the food like scavengers, as they have no mouth-parts. Instead they break down solid matter into liquids which they can absorb..Examples: bacteria and some fungi.

Trophic Level - A trophic level is each level in a food chain. Matter is always 'lost' as heat energy at each trophic level. Basal Energy Requirement (B.E.R.) - the amount of energy used by an organism's body just to keep alive, when no food is being digested and no muscular work is being done.

Food Web - a network of interrelated food chains in a given area.

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