This energy is radiated from the sun's surface and received by the surface of the Earth. On the surface of the Earth plants capture some of this solar radiation in the chloroplasts that exist in their tissues. Through photosynthesis the plants convert the radiant energy into energy rich organic matter. Some of the energy fixed by the plants is passed on to herbivores through consumption. Finally, a portion of the energy assimilated by the herbivores is then passed on to carnivores through consumption.
All systems are generalizations of reality .
The food chain process described above is a simple abstraction of what actually happens in a variety of different types of terrestrial ecosystems of much greater complexity. They all function in the same way. All systems consist of groups of parts that interact according to some kind of process. In the food chain model, the parts are the sun , plants , herbivores and carnivores . There are two main processes taking place in this system.