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Definition

noun, plural: consumers

An organism that generally obtains food by feeding on other organisms or organic matter due to lack of the ability to manufacture own food from inorganic sources; a heterotroph.

Supplement

Any of the organisms in all trophic levels in a food chain, except for producers.

In a food chain, the levels of consumers are:

• primary consumers – herbivores that feed on producers
• secondary consumers – consumers that feed on primary consumers and/or producers
• tertiary consumers – consumers that feed on secondary and primary consumers, as well as on producers

Word origin: consume » Middle English consumen, from Latin cōnsūmere, to take + -er.

Related terms: primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer.

See also: food chain, trophic level.