Biology Regents Practice Exam

The transfer of energy through a food chain is primarily explained by the process of predation. In a food chain, energy flows from one trophic level to the next as organisms consume one another. Predation is the interaction where one organism (the predator) hunts and eats another organism (the prey). This process is essential for energy transfer because it allows the energy stored in the prey (which has obtained its energy through photosynthesis or other means) to be passed on to the predator.

When a predator consumes its prey, it assimilates the energy that the prey has accumulated. This continues up the food chain, with primary producers (like plants) forming the base and supporting herbivores, which in turn support carnivores. This mechanism highlights the dependencies within ecosystems and illustrates the flow of energy from producers to various levels of consumers, ultimately demonstrating the interconnectedness of various organisms in an ecological system.