What Is a Terrestrial Food Chain? Examples of Food Chains in Terrestrial Habitats

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So, what is a terrestrial food chain? Well, for starters, a food chain is a series of interconnected feeding relationships among different species in an ecosystem. With this in mind a common terrestrial food chain example is grass-grasshopper-snake-hawk.

If you asked us to give another example of a terrestrial food chain, we’d suggest plants-grasshopper-scorpion-fox. Similar, but clearly tied to a different habitat, because, as you may have guessed, different terrestrial habitats consist of unique terrestrial food chains. 

Called trophic levels, the different levels in a food web represent the flow of energy and nutrients from the bottom of the food chain to the top. Animals at a higher level eat animals that are at a lower level, while herbivores eat plants. Primary producers, which include plants, are at the bottom (or base) of the food web. In the terrestrial food chain example listed above, the grasshopper is an example of a primary consumer; the scorpion is a secondary consumer; and the hawk, which is at the top of the food web, is a tertiary consumer.