Which term refers to each step in a food chain or food web?

The term that refers to each step in a food chain or food web is "trophic level." In ecological terms, trophic levels represent the hierarchical positions of organisms in an ecosystem based on their feeding relationships and energy transfer.

At the base of the food chain, we find producers, such as plants that convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. These organisms occupy the first trophic level. As we move up to herbivores, which consume these producers, and then to carnivores that eat herbivores, we encounter higher trophic levels. Each level signifies a different layer in the energy flow and ecological interactions within that system.

Understanding trophic levels is essential for studying ecosystem dynamics, as they help in analyzing energy transfer efficiency and the impact of changes within the ecosystem, such as population dynamics and resource availability. Other terms like nutrients, biomass, and limiting factors pertain to different ecological concepts and do not specifically denote the steps within food chains or webs.