tertiærkonsument

A tertiary consumer is an organism that primarily eats other consumers. In a food chain, tertiary consumers occupy the fourth trophic level. They are typically carnivores or omnivores that feed on secondary consumers, which are themselves carnivores or omnivores that feed on primary consumers. Primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers, such as plants or algae.

Examples of tertiary consumers vary depending on the ecosystem. In a forest food chain, a hawk might be a tertiary consumer, preying on snakes (secondary consumers) which in turn eat mice (primary consumers). In a marine environment, a shark could be a tertiary consumer, feeding on seals (secondary consumers) that eat fish (primary consumers).

Tertiary consumers play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem. By controlling the populations of secondary consumers, they prevent overgrazing of primary consumers and subsequent damage to producer populations. Their presence indicates a healthy and complex food web. If a tertiary consumer population declines, it can have cascading effects throughout the ecosystem, potentially leading to imbalances in lower trophic levels. The organisms at the top of the food chain, often referred to as apex predators, are a type of tertiary consumer.