Trophic level
MCAT glossary · MCAT
Definition
A position in a food chain defined by the number of energy transfers from the producers.
Trophic level in plain English
A trophic level is just your rung on the food-energy ladder — it answers 'how many meals removed are you from the sunlight?' Plants sit at the bottom because they capture energy straight from the sun (level one); a rabbit that eats the plant is one transfer up, and a fox that eats the rabbit is one higher still. Each time energy passes to the next level, most of it (roughly 90%) is lost as heat and everyday living, which is why there are tons of grass but only a few foxes — there simply isn't enough energy left to support many top predators.
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