The Sanskrit phrase “jīvo jīvasya jīvanam” (जीवो जीवस्य जीवनम्)1 can be translated as “one living being is the sustenance of another.” While the dating is uncertain (Sanskrit traditions were transmitted orally long before their final written compilation 1,000 years ago), the idea itself — that living beings subsist upon other living beings — is deeply embedded throughout ancient Indian thought. A suitable interpretive translation is “life eats life.”
A nice short article that articulates the human condition well!
…people frequently argue that humans should, essentially, eat the plants and skip the herbivores. But these arguments frequently ignore the equally fundamental fact that most plant biomass is inedible to humans. They also ignore the fact that the amount that is edible is of significantly lower nutritional quality.
Most of us here are quite definitely level 3 trophic level. Not many of us eat any predators (aside from the occasional chicken)
Salmon too!
Oh yes, and trout so maybe level 4
Nice short article. I bet zephyr wouldn’t read it and would shout about thermodynamic efficiency if confronted by a trophic level argument