The primary consumer in the food chain below is ................ Green plants → Grasshopper → Lizard → Snake → Hawk

Step 1: Analyze the question We are asked to identify the primary consumer in the food chain: Green plants → Grasshopper → Lizard → Snake → Hawk

Step 2: Explain the concept Each organism in a food chain occupies a trophic level:

• Producers: make their own food by photosynthesis (green plants).
• Primary consumers: feed directly on producers. They are herbivores.
• Secondary consumers: feed on primary consumers (carnivores or omnivores).
• Tertiary consumers: feed on secondary consumers.
• Quaternary consumers: feed on tertiary consumers (top predators).

The arrow (→) means "is eaten by", or "energy flows to".

Step 3: Apply it to the chain

| Organism | Trophic level | |---|---| | Green plants | Producer | | Grasshopper | Primary consumer | | Lizard | Secondary consumer | | Snake | Tertiary consumer | | Hawk | Quaternary consumer |

The grasshopper eats green plants directly, so it is the first consumer in the chain.

Step 4: Eliminate the wrong options

• B. Green plants: these are producers, not consumers.
• C. Hawk: the top consumer in this chain.
• D. Lizard: a secondary consumer, because it eats the grasshopper.

Answer: A. Grasshopper

Exam tip: Remember "Producer, Primary" with the idea that the primary consumer is the one that eats the producer. Simply find the organism right after the first arrow. In any food chain, the primary consumer is the second organism, immediately after the green plant.