NGSS.3-PS2-1 / TEKS 3.6.B.2✓ New York State Education Department (NYSED) AlignedAcademic Year 2026–27
Ecosystems, Food Chains & Energy Flow
Trace the flow of energy from the sun through producers, primary consumers, predators, and decomposers.
Why It Matters:Crucial for wildlife management, ocean fisheries protection, and forest conservation.
Curated Video Instruction
● Verified Active EmbedSTEP-BY-STEP PROOF
Worked Example
Trace energy flow in a forest ecosystem: Sun -> Grass -> Rabbit -> Hawk:
1
Solar energy capture
Sunlight -> Grass (Producer)
Grass converts radiant solar energy into stored plant glucose.
2
Herbivore consumption
Grass -> Rabbit (Primary Consumer)
Rabbit feeds on grass, using calories for growth and movement.
3
Carnivore predation
Rabbit -> Hawk (Secondary/Apex Consumer)
Hawk captures rabbit, transferring a fraction of the energy.
✓Verification Check
Verify: At each trophic stage, ~90% of energy is lost as metabolic heat.
Energy transferred
•
Energy conserved
⚠️ Common Pitfalls & Misconceptions
Believing decomposers are not essential in food chains
✗ Omitting fungi and bacteria from ecosystem models✓ Decomposers break down dead biomass and return vital minerals to the soil for producers
Without decomposers, nutrients would remain locked.
INTERACTIVE DRILLS
Guided Practice
Practice Question1 of 1
Step-by-step Feedback
Which organism in a food chain produces its own food?
MASTERY BENCHMARK
Official Assessment Quiz
Formal Assessment
Ecosystems, Food Chains & Energy Flow
Passing Criteria:70% or higher
Question 1 of 1
What is the primary source of energy for almost all life on Earth?
Education to Career Navigation
Where This Lesson Leads
Ecologists, Wildlife Biologists, and Park Rangers manage balanced habitats.