Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Integrated Science (024) Practice Exam

What are tertiary consumers also known as?

1. Apex predators

2. Primary consumers

3. Producers

4. Decomposers

The correct answer is: Apex predators

Tertiary consumers are organisms at the top of the food chain that eat secondary consumers and sometimes primary consumers as well. These consumers are typically apex predators, meaning they have no natural predators of their own in their ecosystem. Tertiary consumers play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem by controlling the populations of the species they prey on. In contrast, primary consumers are herbivores that eat producers (plants), while producers are the autotrophic organisms that create energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Decomposers break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, and are not classified as consumers in the same hierarchical layer as tertiary consumers. Thus, the classification of tertiary consumers as apex predators is accurate and reflects their significant position within the food web.