Flow of nutrients through an ecosystem is cyclic as the nutrients move from one trophic level to another trophic level all the way up and then back down. Trophic levels provide a structure for understanding food chains and how energy flows through an ecosystem. At the base of the pyramid are the producers, who use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make their own food. Herbivores or primary consumers make up the second level.
Flow of nutrients through an ecosystem is cyclic as the nutrients move from one trophic level to another trophic level all the way up and then back down.