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Feb 17, 2026
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Understanding Energy Flow in Food Chains and Webs
Cora H
@c.j.hollen
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![-[@c.j.hollen]-
# Energy Transfer and Components
## of Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
### Definitions & Vocabulary
**Autotrophs:** Self-feede](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent-eu-central-1.knowunity.com%2FCONTENT%2FtlPPcCSWfWMRidwxPUyl_image_page_1.webp&w=2048&q=75)
Energy Transfer and Components of Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
Ever wondered who eats whom in nature? Food chains show us exactly that! A food chain is simply a series of organisms eating one another, creating a pathway for energy to flow. When multiple food chains intersect, they form a more complex food web that shows all the possible feeding relationships.
At the base of every food chain are the producers - organisms like plants that make their own food. These autotrophs create organic compounds through processes like photosynthesis (done by photoautotrophs like plants) or chemosynthesis (done by chemoautotrophs that use chemical energy). Above them are various levels of consumers - herbivores, carnivores, and carnivores that eat other carnivores.
The levels in a food chain are called trophic levels. Primary consumers (herbivores) eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers, and at the top are quaternary or apex consumers. Working alongside this hierarchy are decomposers like fungi and bacteria that break down dead matter from all levels.
Energy Insight: Every organism in a food chain stores some of the energy it consumes as biomass in its body tissues. This stored energy becomes available to the next organism up the chain when it gets eaten!
![-[@c.j.hollen]-
# Energy Transfer and Components
## of Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
### Definitions & Vocabulary
**Autotrophs:** Self-feede](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent-eu-central-1.knowunity.com%2FCONTENT%2FtlPPcCSWfWMRidwxPUyl_image_page_2.webp&w=2048&q=75)
The 10% Rule and Energy Flow
Did you know that 90% of energy is lost at each step of a food chain? This fundamental concept is called the 10% Rule of energy transfer. When energy moves from one trophic level to the next, only about 10% of it gets stored as biomass that can be consumed by the next level.
Think about what this means: if plants capture 1,000 units of energy from the sun, herbivores that eat those plants only get about 100 units. Then carnivores eating those herbivores only get 10 units, and so on. That's why there are always more producers than herbivores, and more herbivores than carnivores in healthy ecosystems.
This energy loss explains why food chains can't go on forever. After about 4-5 trophic levels, there simply isn't enough energy left to support another level of consumers. This is also why top predators typically need large territories - they need access to enough prey to meet their energy needs.
Remember This: Decomposers like fungi, bacteria, and animals such as worms, crabs, and vultures play a crucial role by recycling nutrients from dead organisms at all trophic levels, making these nutrients available again to producers.
![-[@c.j.hollen]-
# Energy Transfer and Components
## of Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
### Definitions & Vocabulary
**Autotrophs:** Self-feede](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent-eu-central-1.knowunity.com%2FCONTENT%2FtlPPcCSWfWMRidwxPUyl_image_page_3.webp&w=2048&q=75)
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Brad T
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Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
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The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
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Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
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THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE Knowunity AI. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
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This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE Knowunity AI. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
Understanding Energy Flow in Food Chains and Webs
Cora H
@c.j.hollen
Energy flows through ecosystems in predictable patterns, creating a complex web of relationships between different organisms. Understanding these energy transfers helps us see how all living things are connected and dependent on each other for survival.
Energy Transfer and Components of Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
Ever wondered who eats whom in nature? Food chains show us exactly that! A food chain is simply a series of organisms eating one another, creating a pathway for energy to flow. When multiple food chains intersect, they form a more complex food web that shows all the possible feeding relationships.
At the base of every food chain are the producers - organisms like plants that make their own food. These autotrophs create organic compounds through processes like photosynthesis (done by photoautotrophs like plants) or chemosynthesis (done by chemoautotrophs that use chemical energy). Above them are various levels of consumers - herbivores, carnivores, and carnivores that eat other carnivores.
The levels in a food chain are called trophic levels. Primary consumers (herbivores) eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers, and at the top are quaternary or apex consumers. Working alongside this hierarchy are decomposers like fungi and bacteria that break down dead matter from all levels.
Energy Insight: Every organism in a food chain stores some of the energy it consumes as biomass in its body tissues. This stored energy becomes available to the next organism up the chain when it gets eaten!
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The 10% Rule and Energy Flow
Did you know that 90% of energy is lost at each step of a food chain? This fundamental concept is called the 10% Rule of energy transfer. When energy moves from one trophic level to the next, only about 10% of it gets stored as biomass that can be consumed by the next level.
Think about what this means: if plants capture 1,000 units of energy from the sun, herbivores that eat those plants only get about 100 units. Then carnivores eating those herbivores only get 10 units, and so on. That's why there are always more producers than herbivores, and more herbivores than carnivores in healthy ecosystems.
This energy loss explains why food chains can't go on forever. After about 4-5 trophic levels, there simply isn't enough energy left to support another level of consumers. This is also why top predators typically need large territories - they need access to enough prey to meet their energy needs.
Remember This: Decomposers like fungi, bacteria, and animals such as worms, crabs, and vultures play a crucial role by recycling nutrients from dead organisms at all trophic levels, making these nutrients available again to producers.
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What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI companion is specifically built for the needs of students. Based on the millions of content pieces we have on the platform we can provide truly meaningful and relevant answers to students. But its not only about answers, the companion is even more about guiding students through their daily learning challenges, with personalised study plans, quizzes or content pieces in the chat and 100% personalisation based on the students skills and developments.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE Knowunity AI. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE Knowunity AI. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user