In a food chain, arrows indicate what aspect of energy transfer?

• A. The flow of matter through the chain
• B. The direction of energy
• C. The route energy takes in sunlight
• D. The source of energy in the ecosystem

Answer: (B)

The arrows show where energy moves as organisms eat one another. Energy passes from the organism being eaten to the one that eats it, so the arrow points in that direction. This makes sense because, in a food chain, energy flows from prey to predator, from producers up to top consumers. It isn’t about the flow of matter, the route energy takes from sunlight, or identifying the sun as the energy source—the arrows specifically indicate the direction of energy transfer between trophic levels.