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Side-by-side illustration comparing an ecosystem before and after the removal of top carnivores. The left panel shows a balanced landscape with wolves, bears, foxes, diverse birds, and a variety of plants, while the right panel shows an ecosystem dominated by large herbivores like elk and deer, fewer predators, reduced plant variety, and less songbird diversity. Diagram of a terrestrial food chain showing plants as primary producers, eaten by herbivorous mammals and insects, which are consumed by small and large predators, with decomposers like fungi, bacteria, and earthworms recycling organic matter. An energy pyramid diagram showing four levels: producers like grass at the base, primary consumers such as rabbits above, secondary consumers like snakes next, and a tertiary consumer, an eagle, at the top. Arrows indicate energy transfer upward and energy loss at each level.
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Side-by-side illustration comparing an ecosystem before and after the removal of top carnivores. The left panel shows a balanced landscape with wolves, bears, foxes, diverse birds, and a variety of plants, while the right panel shows an ecosystem dominated by large herbivores like elk and deer, fewer predators, reduced plant variety, and less songbird diversity.
trophic cascade Trophic cascade scenario: the removal of top carnivores from a terrestrial ecosystem.

A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must consume other organisms. Unlike autotrophs, which create organic substances from inorganic materials, heterotrophs rely on organic sources of carbon from other living things. This means they depend directly or indirectly on autotrophs for nutrients and energy. For example, a raccoon eating corn or rodents that eat corn illustrates this dependency. In the broader field of ecology, animals are classified as consumers because they ingest plants or other animals, using the stored energy to live. This consumption is a key part of the flow of matter and energy within an ecosystem.12

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. heterotroph
  2. zoology - Ecology
  3. chemoreception - Plant chemicals
  4. philosophy of biology - Social and ethical issues

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