AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary…
Full specification wording
Trophic levels: Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers. Apex predators are carnivores with no predators.
Level 4 is the third consumer level in a food chain.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 7 of 9
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Level 4 is the third consumer level in a food chain. Organisms here eat carnivores, so they are carnivores themselves and are called tertiary consumers. For example, in the chain grass → rabbit → fox → eagle, the eagle is the tertiary consumer at level 4 because it eats the fox. A food chain may stop at this level or continue to level 5, but the highest level in a particular chain is occupied by an apex predator. An apex predator is a carnivore with no predators of its own in that ecosystem, such as a lion, killer whale or golden eagle. Being an apex predator does not mean the organism is never eaten by anything; it means no other organism in the food web hunts it as prey.
What earns the marks
- Level 4 contains consumers that eat other carnivores, so they are carnivores feeding at the third consumer level.
- A tertiary consumer is the third consumer level in a food chain, counting the producer as level 1.
- In the chain grass → rabbit → fox → eagle, the eagle is the tertiary consumer because it eats the fox.
- An apex predator is a carnivore at the top of a food chain or web with no predators of its own.
- Apex predators can occupy different trophic levels in different chains, depending on what they eat in each chain.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Calling the tertiary consumer a herbivore.
Put it right: The error is ignoring that level 4 eats carnivores, and the correction is that tertiary consumers are carnivores by diet.
Defining an apex predator as any large animal.
Put it right: The error is using size instead of feeding position, and the correction is that an apex predator is a carnivore with no predators in its ecosystem.
Assuming every food chain has exactly four levels.
Put it right: The error is treating level 4 as fixed, and the correction is that chains vary in length and may end at level 3, 4 or 5.
Exam tips
- State both the level number and the consumer name, for example level 4 tertiary consumer, to show clear understanding.
- When identifying an apex predator, check that no arrow in the food web points from it to another consumer.
- Use a named example from the chain in your answer so the feeding relationship is explicit.
Try the lesson
The start of the Trophic levels: Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers. Apex predators are carnivores with no predators. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In a food chain, a hawk eats a snake that has eaten a mouse. What name is given to the hawk at level 4?
Listen
Level 4 is the third consumer level in a food chain. Organisms here eat carnivores, so they are carnivores themselves and are called tertiary consumers. For example, in the chain grass → rabbit → fox → eagle, the eagle is the tertiary consumer at level 4 because it eats the fox. A food chain may stop at this level or continue to level 5, but the highest level in a particular chain is occupied by an apex predator. An apex predator is a carnivore with no predators of its own in that ecosystem, such as a lion, killer whale or golden eagle. Being an apex predator does not mean the organism is never eaten by anything; it means no other organism in the food web hunts it as prey. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Level 4 contains consumers that eat other carnivores, so they are carnivores feeding at the third consumer level. A tertiary consumer is the third consumer level in a food chain, counting the producer as level 1. In the chain grass → rabbit → fox → eagle, the eagle is the tertiary consumer because it eats the fox. An apex predator is a carnivore at the top of a food chain or web with no predators of its own. Exam tip: State both the level number and the consumer name, for example level 4 tertiary consumer, to show clear understanding.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Tertiary consumer
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Apex predator
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Level 4
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Tertiary consumer
- The third consumer level in a food chain, counting the producer as level 1, containing consumers that eat other carnivores.
- Apex predator
- A carnivore at the top of a food chain or web with no predators of its own in that ecosystem.
- Level 4
- The third consumer level in a food chain, containing carnivores that eat other carnivores.
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