AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.
Full specification wording
Trophic levels: Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.
Level 3 is the second consumer level in a food chain.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 6 of 9
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Level 3 is the second consumer level in a food chain. Organisms here eat herbivores, so they are carnivores and are called secondary consumers. For example, in the chain grass → rabbit → fox, the fox is the secondary consumer at level 3 because it eats the rabbit, which is the primary consumer at level 2. A secondary consumer may also eat several different herbivores, so it can appear in more than one chain within a food web. The position is decided by what the organism eats, not by its size or species name. Energy passes from the herbivore to the carnivore when the carnivore eats it, and the arrow in the chain points from the herbivore to the secondary consumer.
What earns the marks
- Level 3 contains consumers that feed on primary consumers, which are herbivores.
- Organisms at level 3 are carnivores because their diet consists of other animals.
- A secondary consumer is the second consumer level in a food chain, counting the producer as level 1.
- In the chain grass → rabbit → fox, the fox is the secondary consumer because it eats the rabbit.
- The same organism can be a secondary consumer in one food chain and a different consumer level in another chain if its diet varies.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Calling the herbivore the secondary consumer.
Put it right: The error is counting the producer as level 0, and the correction is that the producer is level 1, making the herbivore level 2 and the carnivore level 3.
Assuming a secondary consumer must be a top predator.
Put it right: The error is confusing level 3 with the final level, and the correction is that a secondary consumer can itself be eaten by a tertiary consumer.
Describing level 3 as an omnivore without evidence.
Put it right: The error is guessing the diet, and the correction is that level 3 is defined by eating herbivores, so the organism is acting as a carnivore in that chain.
Exam tips
- Count levels from the producer as level 1, then state the level number and consumer name together.
- When a food web is shown, follow one chain at a time and name the secondary consumer for that chain rather than for the whole web.
- Link the term carnivore to the diet evidence in the chain, such as the fox eating the rabbit.
Try the lesson
The start of the Trophic levels: Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What name is given to the carnivores that eat herbivores at level 3 of a food chain?
Listen
Level 3 is the second consumer level in a food chain. Organisms here eat herbivores, so they are carnivores and are called secondary consumers. For example, in the chain grass → rabbit → fox, the fox is the secondary consumer at level 3 because it eats the rabbit, which is the primary consumer at level 2. A secondary consumer may also eat several different herbivores, so it can appear in more than one chain within a food web. The position is decided by what the organism eats, not by its size or species name. Energy passes from the herbivore to the carnivore when the carnivore eats it, and the arrow in the chain points from the herbivore to the secondary consumer. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Level 3 contains consumers that feed on primary consumers, which are herbivores. Organisms at level 3 are carnivores because their diet consists of other animals. A secondary consumer is the second consumer level in a food chain, counting the producer as level 1. In the chain grass → rabbit → fox, the fox is the secondary consumer because it eats the rabbit. Exam tip: Count levels from the producer as level 1, then state the level number and consumer name together.
See it
Put it in order
Put these steps in the order they happen.
- 1. Level 3: carnivore (secondary consumer)
- 2. Can be eaten by a tertiary consumer
- 3. Level 2: herbivore (primary consumer)
- 4. Level 1: producer
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
secondary consumer
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
carnivore
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
trophic level
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
food web
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- secondary consumer
- A carnivore at level 3 that eats herbivores, which are the primary consumers at level 2.
- carnivore
- An organism whose diet consists of other animals, such as the secondary consumer that eats herbivores.
- trophic level
- A level in a food chain, counted with the producer as level 1, making the herbivore level 2 and the carnivore level 3.
- food web
- A set of chains in which a secondary consumer may eat several different herbivores, so it can appear in more than one chain.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
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