Step 1: A food chain illustrates the flow of energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem. It starts with the producers and moves through various levels of consumers.
Step 2: The basic structure of a food chain is as follows:
1. Producers (e.g., plants) form the base of the chain.
2. Primary Consumers (e.g., herbivores) consume producers.
3. Secondary Consumers (e.g., carnivores) eat primary consumers.
4. Tertiary Consumers (e.g., apex predators) consume secondary consumers.
\[
\text{Sunlight} \to \text{Plants (Producer)} \to \text{Herbivores (Primary Consumer)}
\]
\[\to \text{Carnivores (Secondary Consumer)}\to \text{Top Predators (Tertiary Consumer)}\]