Question

How is energy transferred throughout a food chain?

Answer 1

Hint: Food chain is also known as a food network which also shows the relationship between different organisms in terms of food. The food chain is divided into different trophic levels.

Complete answer:
1)The food chain represents the transfer of energy between different organisms.
2)Green plants are known as producers because they start the food chain. Green plants absorb light from the sun and convert the light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis and this energy can be transferred to further trophic levels.
3)After the producers, the next trophic level of the food chain comprises primary consumers that convert the complex organic molecules of plants that are obtained through photosynthesis to the energy that is consumed by the primary consumers and transferred to the next trophic level.
4)The next trophic level of the food chain comprises secondary consumers that are dependent on primary consumers for food and energy.
5)After which the trophic level of the food chain goes upwards towards more complex consumers that are known as the tertiary consumers.
6)The last trophic level of the food chain consists of decomposers and detritivores. Their main function is to breakdown the food. This food is again available for the plants. In this way, the food cycle or food chain works.

Note: Every organism occupies a particular trophic level of a food chain but an organism can also occupy more than one trophic level. For example, if an organism is a primary consumer, it can also be a secondary or a tertiary consumer in the case of different food networks. When the energy is transferred to further trophic levels, a certain amount of energy gets lost to the environment, hence an upper trophic level cannot have more energy than the lower trophic levels.