The process of energy capture by plants is called primary productivity .
Energy captured by the primary producers is transferred to other organisms.
Plants are eaten by animals. These animals are eaten by other animals, and so on. Energy transfer is inefficient - Energy is lost to heat at each stage of the process of moving up trophic levels. While energy is wasted as one moves from one trophic level to the next, toxins are accumulated. Accumulation of toxins is known as biological magnification .