Which term is defined as the transfer of food energy from plants to herbivores and then to carnivores?

• A. The Food Web
• B. The Food Chain
• C. The Energy Pyramid
• D. The Nutrient Cycle

Answer: (B)

Energy moves through ecosystems in a relatively linear path from plants that capture sunlight to herbivores that eat those plants, and then to carnivores that eat the herbivores. This direct transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next is described by the food chain, which shows the sequence from producers to primary consumers to secondary consumers. As energy moves up each step, most of it is lost as heat and used for metabolism, so only a portion reaches the next level.

A food web would show many interconnected feeding relationships, not just a single line. An energy pyramid illustrates how much energy is present at each trophic level, typically decreasing higher up. The nutrient cycle refers to the movement of elements like carbon and nitrogen through the environment, not the flow of energy.

So, the term that defines this transfer of energy from plants to herbivores and then to carnivores is the Food Chain.