Trophics

Trophics is a biological life science important to the studies of sophontology (...the study of technology-using alien species) and xenology (...the study of non-technology-using alien species, often called creatures or beasts).

• See Animal classification and Taxonomy for a similar sciences.

Description

Trophics is a biological life science studying the the selection of food used by a lifeform for nutritional intake or sustenance, the dietary relationships between different lifeforms, and other related topics.

Etymology

Trophic, from the Terran language of Ancient Greece as trophikos meaning pertaining to food or nourishment.

Terminology

• Biomass is the amount of organic matter present in a lifeform.
• Diet is the selection of food used by a lifeform for nutritional intake or sustenance.
• Food Web is a diagram showing dietary relationships.

Trophic Levels

Trophic levels can vary greatly according to the nature of a plant and the local fauna and flora.

Typically, trophic levels are arraged in a pyramidal structure with the least populous groups of a trophic classification located at the top of the pyramid, usually apex predators or more common types of carnivores, and the most populous groups of a trophic classification located at the bottom of the pyramid, usually autotrophs and detrivores of various types. "Biomass" and dietary efficiency is lost as the trophic level rises.

A typical system of trophic levels for a terrestrial planet of the type favorable to Humaniti, might look like this:

• Level 5: Apex predators, typically a type of carnivore, have no predators, are at the very top of the food chain, and are sometimes called quaternary consumers.
• Level 4: Carnivores and omnivores that eat other carnivores (...and supplement their diet with autotrophic life) are called tertiary consumers.
• Level 3: Omnivores and scavengers that eat herbivores (...and dead organic matter) are called secondary consumers.
• Level 2: Herbivores and scavengers eat autotrophs (...and dead organic or inorganic matter) and are called primary consumers.
• Level 1: Autotrophs (Plants, fungi, algae, etc.) make their own food and are called primary producers.

Animal Classification (Science) Table of Autotrophic Consumption & Classification

Trophic Level	Trophic Classification	Alt. Name	Notes
Level 5	Apex Predators (Carnivores & Sophonts)	Quaternary Consumer	Have no predators, are at the very top of the food chain
Level 4	Predators (Carnivores & Omnivores)	Tertiary Consumer	Eat other carnivores (...and supplement their diet w/autotrophs)
Level 3	Prey (Omnivores & Scavengers)	Secondary Consumer	Eat herbivores (...and dead organic matter)
Level 2	CisPrey (Herbivores & Scavengers)	Primary Consumer	Eat autotrophs (...and dead organic or inorganic matter)
Level 1	Autotrophs	Primary Producer	(Plants, fungi, algae, etc.) make their own food

Food Webs

A Food Web, or food chain, is a diagram showing the dietary relationships between different lifeforms, or, to put it simply, who eats whom.

Abiogenesis

While trophic levels have a theoretical top and bottom, the system, sometimes called a food web, forms a continuous, self-sustaining cycle. It is more than a little erroneous to list a beginning and ending level since science has still not discovered exactly how life began, a process known as Abiogenesis.

• Some scientists hold the theory that only life can beget life (Biogenesis), while others are convinced that biological life can arise from inanimate matter (Abiogenesis).
• The mysteries of Abiogenesis remain some of the greatest quandaries known to the Third Imperium. Many scientists have studied the archeological remains of the Ancients society looking for clues.

History & Background

n/a

References & Contributors

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science