Trophic Level Classification Activity (Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers)

Is a lion a secondary consumer? Are worms and root-eating grubs decomposers or primary consumers? Students in middle school life science will answer these questions, among others, using their taxonomy skills.

Students will classify sixty-four organisms as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, or as decomposers in this four-page activity. I grouped quaternary consumers under tertiary consumers for simplicity's sake. The decomposer category houses the detrivores for this exercise.

I provided a paragraph-long description with clues for each trophic level on the first page that offers classification patterns. I also added a page that showcases a photo gallery of the lesser-known species. This activity comes with a full-page key with the answers color-coated by category.

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This lesson complements the following activity in my store.

Autotroph or Heterotroph Classification Activity

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