Food Chains: The Flow of Energy

A Food Chain represents a linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass as one organism eats another. In nature, several food chains interlink to form a complex Food Web.

Trophic Levels

• Producers (1st Trophic Level): Green plants and algae that produce food via photosynthesis.
• Primary Consumers (2nd Trophic Level): Herbivores that eat producers (e.g., grasshopper, cow).
• Secondary Consumers (3rd Trophic Level): Carnivores that eat herbivores (e.g., frog, snake).
• Tertiary Consumers (4th Trophic Level): Top carnivores that eat other carnivores (e.g., hawk, lion).
• Decomposers: Organisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead matter, returning nutrients to the soil.

Lindeman’s 10% Rule

Only about 10% of the energy available at one trophic level is transferred to the next level. The rest is lost as heat during respiration and metabolic processes.

Types of Food Chains

• Grazing Food Chain: Starts from green plants (primary producers).
• Detritus Food Chain: Starts from dead organic matter.

Question for you: In an ecological pyramid, which trophic level always occupies the base?

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