In a forest food web, which provides the initial energy that powers a fox's diet?

In a forest food web, which provides the initial energy that powers a fox's diet?

• A. Sunlight directly to predators
• B. Minerals in soil
• C. Sunlight captured by plants through photosynthesis
• D. Sound energy

Answer: (C)

Energy in ecosystems starts with sunlight. Plants capture light through photosynthesis and store that energy in chemical bonds within sugars. Herbivores then obtain that energy by eating the plants, and predators like a fox get energy by eating those herbivores. So the fox’s energy ultimately traces back to the sun via plants. Minerals in soil provide nutrients but not usable energy, sound energy isn’t a food-energy source, and energy doesn’t go directly from the sun to predators without first being stored in plant tissues. That makes sunlight captured by plants through photosynthesis the initial energy source for the fox’s diet.

Energy in ecosystems starts with sunlight. Plants capture light through photosynthesis and store that energy in chemical bonds within sugars. Herbivores then obtain that energy by eating the plants, and predators like a fox get energy by eating those herbivores. So the fox’s energy ultimately traces back to the sun via plants. Minerals in soil provide nutrients but not usable energy, sound energy isn’t a food-energy source, and energy doesn’t go directly from the sun to predators without first being stored in plant tissues. That makes sunlight captured by plants through photosynthesis the initial energy source for the fox’s diet.