trophic

¹

[ trof-ik, troh-fik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to nutrition; concerned in nutritive processes.

-trophic

²

1. a combining form with the meanings “having nutritional habits or requirements” of the kind specified by the initial element ( autotrophic ), “affecting the activity of, maintaining” that specified ( gonadotrophic ) (in this sense often interchangeable with -tropic ); also forming adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -troph or -trophy ( hypertrophic ).

trophic

/ ˈtrɒfɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to nutrition

   the trophic levels of a food chain

trophic

/ trŏf′ĭk /

1. Relating to the feeding habits of different organisms in a food chain or web.

Derived Forms

• ˈtrophically, adverb

Other Words From

• trophi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trophic¹

First recorded in 1870–75, trophic is from the Greek word trophikós pertaining to food. See tropho-, -ic

Origin of trophic²

trophic

Word History and Origins

Origin of trophic¹

C19: from Greek trophikos , from trophē food, from trephein to feed

Example Sentences

Investigations on phytoplankton are hereby most crucial, since changes at the basis of the food web can impact all higher trophic levels, all the way up to fisheries.

From Science Daily

The wolves’ return and predatory dominance was believed to have had a widespread effect known as a trophic cascade, by decreasing grazing and restoring and expanding forests, grasses and other wildlife.

From New York Times

"Dogs can contribute to the extinction of vertebrate species, can imbalance the trophic dynamics amongst predator guilds and even have the potential to collapse entire ecological communities," he continues.

From Science Daily

"The displacement of various shark species due to killer whale presence may have implications for mesopredator release and potential trophic changes in the marine ecosystem."

From Science Daily

The researchers set out to study both biodiversity -- plants, insects, vertebrates -- and changes in how food webs function -- biomass, trophic structure, energy fluxes.

From Science Daily