Ecology

Food Chains

• A food chain shows the transfer of energy from one organism to the next as each consumes the other.
• Producers (e.g. plants) are at the start of the food chain, followed by primary consumers (e.g. herbivores), then secondary consumers (e.g. carnivores).
• Energy is lost at each stage of the food chain as heat and through the organism's life processes.
• Exam Tip: When drawing a food chain, make sure the arrows point in the correct direction to show the flow of energy.