Research news on Food Chain

A food chain, as a biological process, represents the unidirectional flow of energy and matter through trophic levels within an ecosystem via consumption and assimilation. It begins with primary producers (typically photosynthetic or chemosynthetic organisms) that convert inorganic resources into biomass, followed by successive levels of consumers (primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.) that obtain energy by feeding on organisms from lower trophic levels. At each transfer, a substantial portion of energy is dissipated as heat, consistent with the second law of thermodynamics. Decomposers mediate the terminal processing of organic matter, recycling nutrients and partially closing biogeochemical cycles.