In ecology and food chain terminology, consumers that eat both plants and animals are known by which term?

Introduction / Context:
In ecology, organisms in a food chain or food web are often classified based on what they eat. Producers make their own food, while consumers eat other organisms. Among consumers, some eat only plants, some eat only animals and some eat both. Knowing the correct terms for these categories is important for understanding energy flow and trophic levels in ecosystems. This question asks about consumers that eat both plants and animals.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on consumers in an ecological context.
• The key categories are herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, tertiary consumers and detritivores.
• We assume basic school level knowledge of food chains and diets of common animals.

Concept / Approach:
Herbivores feed only on plant material, such as leaves, grass, seeds and fruit. Carnivores feed mainly or exclusively on other animals. Omnivores feed on both plant and animal matter. Examples include humans, bears and crows, which can eat fruits, grains and other animals or animal products. Tertiary consumers are high level predators in a food chain but may be carnivores or omnivores depending on the system. Detritivores feed on dead organic matter and decomposing material. Therefore, the correct term for consumers that eat both plants and animals is omnivores.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that herbivores eat plants only and carnivores eat animals only. Step 2: Remember that omnivores use a mixed diet and can eat both plant based foods and animal based foods. Step 3: Consider examples such as humans, pigs and bears, which consume fruits, vegetables, grains and meat. Step 4: Recognise that tertiary consumer describes a position in a food chain, not a diet type, and that detritivores feed mainly on dead material, not living plants and animals. Step 5: Match these definitions to the options and select the one that states omnivores eat both plant and animal matter.

Verification / Alternative check:
Ecology textbooks and educational posters frequently show diagrams of food chains with labels such as producer, herbivore, carnivore and omnivore. In these diagrams, omnivores are shown eating both plant and animal sources. Glossaries define omnivore as an organism that eats both plants and animals. This consistent usage across educational materials supports the correctness of the term omnivore for the category described in the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Carnivores are defined as animals that eat other animals; they do not typically eat a significant amount of plant material. Herbivores feed only on plant materials and are the main plant eating consumers in a food web. Tertiary consumers occupy a higher trophic level but may be strictly carnivorous; the term does not specifically mean eating both plants and animals. Detritivores feed on decomposing organic matter and waste, not on live plants and animals as omnivores do.

Common Pitfalls:
A common confusion is between omnivores and generalists. Some students think that any animal with a varied diet must be a tertiary consumer or predator. However, omnivore describes what is eaten (both plants and animals), while terms like primary, secondary or tertiary consumer describe position in the food chain. An omnivore can be at different trophic levels depending on what it eats. Keeping diet type and trophic level as separate concepts will help you answer ecology questions more accurately.

Final Answer:
Consumers that eat both plants and animals are called Omnivores that eat both plant and animal matter.