Most chains have links so I would say that each step is called a link.
food chain
Trophic Level. They are designated as primary level (autotrophs), secondary level (herbivores), tertiary level(carnivores and omnivores) and so on... The word "trophic" literally means "feeding"
The 3rd feeding level of a food chain consists of secondary consumers that feed on primary consumers. These secondary consumers are typically carnivores that eat herbivores or other primary consumers.
food chain
Food chain from the ecology puzzle
A step in the movement of energy through an ecosystem is called a trophic level. This refers to the position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web, based on its feeding patterns and energy source.
A food chain is a model used to illustrate the feeding relationships in an ecosystem. It shows how energy and nutrients are transferred from a producer (such as plants) through a series of consumers (such as herbivores and predators). Each level of the food chain represents a trophic level, showing the flow of energy through the ecosystem.
In science it is explaned as a group of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain. Each organism could be called a trophy of that level.
A category of living things that is defined by how they gain energy is called a trophic level. This concept helps to describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem, with each level representing a different feeding position in a food chain.
Trophic essentially means to do with nutrition, but when applied (as it often is) to ecology, it refers to feeding habits, and the feeding relationship between different organisms. For example, trophic level means the nutrition or food level, and the position of an organism in the food chain.
Herbivores pass their energy to carnivores or omnivores in an ecosystem by being consumed as food. This transfer of energy through feeding relationships is the basis of the food chain in ecosystems.
trophic level