How did August Thienemann contribute to the idea of trophic levels?

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Zenaida macroura: mouring doves — ecology Mourning doves (*Zenaida macroura*) on their nest protected within the prickly branches of a cactus in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, U.S.

In 1920, German freshwater biologist August Thienemann introduced the concept of trophic levels, which are also known as feeding levels.1

Thienemann’s contribution established a framework for understanding how food energy is transferred through a series of organisms within an ecosystem. This process begins with green plants, which act as producers, and moves upward through several levels of animals, which serve as consumers. This foundational idea was later expanded upon by other ecologists, such as Charles Elton, who incorporated the concepts of ecological niches and pyramids of numbers, and eventually led to the development of the trophic-dynamic concept of energy flow through ecosystems.1