Question

how does food chain conserve energy?

Answer 1

All of the energy in most food webs on Earth originates from sunlight. Producers(plants) on the first trophic level convert the sunlight they capture into chemical energy. This stored energy is extracted by herbivores on the second trophic level, who use it to sustain their own growth. Carnivores on the third and fourth trophic levels in turn extract stored chemical energy from the herbivores and carnivores they eat. In other words, energy travels upward through the food chain. Any time an organism eats another organism, it is extracting and converting stored chemical energy into a form it can use.