Food Chains and Energy Flow
Food chains show the direction of biomass transfer between organisms in a community.
What do the arrows in a food chain actually represent?
What is Food Chains and Energy Flow?
"A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another."
In a food chain, which organism is always at the start?
Why does biomass decrease as you move up a food chain?
Why is a food web often a better model than a simple food chain?
Chain Components
Producers (usually green plants or algae) start every food chain.
Primary consumers eat producers; Secondary consumers eat primary consumers.
Apex predators are at the top of the food chain and have no natural predators.
Remember: The arrow shows the flow of energy/biomass, NOT who eats who.
Accelerate your revision
Master food chains and energy flow and more with our exam-focused practice app.