What term describes organisms that consume primary consumers?

The term that describes organisms that consume primary consumers is "secondary consumers." In ecological terms, a primary consumer typically refers to herbivores that feed on primary producers, usually plants. When secondary consumers eat these primary consumers, they are functioning within the food chain at a higher trophic level. These secondary consumers can be carnivorous or omnivorous, depending on whether they eat other animals or both plants and animals.

Understanding this concept is essential for grasping how energy flows within an ecosystem, as each level of the food chain is interdependent. In this case, the category of secondary consumers is crucial for maintaining the balance in the ecosystem, as they regulate the population of primary consumers. Meanwhile, the other terms refer to different roles within the food web: primary predators often combine characteristics of secondary and tertiary consumers, while tertiary consumers are those that eat secondary consumers, and decomposers break down dead organic matter, playing a different ecological role altogether.