food chain – sequence of feeding in an ecosystem

(Pronounced food chayn)

To remember the meaning of food chain, use the following mnemonic:

The food is chained (food chain) in the sequence in which it’s eaten.

A food chain always starts with a producer (usually a plant) that makes its own food through photosynthesis, capturing energy from the sun. This energy and nutrients are then passed onto the primary consumers who eat the plant (herbivores). Secondary consumers subsequently eat the primary consumers (carnivores) and tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers (often apex predators within an ecosystem). Typically, only about 10% of energy is passed from one level to the next, with the rest lost as heat through respiration and movement. Food chains are important for understanding how ecosystems function and how changes to one organism can affect the entire chain. 

An example of a food chain can be seen in the following image: