Answer:The energy flow in food chains and food webs is respected by the second law of thermodynamics. Here's how it applies:Energy Transformation: The second law states that when energy is transformed from one form to another, some energy is always lost as heat. This means that as energy flows through a food chain, some of it is lost at each trophic level.Decreasing Energy: This loss of energy means that there is less energy available at higher trophic levels. For example, a primary consumer (herbivore) gets less energy from eating plants than the plant itself received from the sun.Limited Trophic Levels: The loss of energy at each level limits the number of trophic levels that can exist in a food chain or web. There's simply not enough energy to support an unlimited number of levels. In Summary:The second law of thermodynamics explains why energy flows in a one-way direction through food chains and webs, with less energy available at higher trophic levels. This limitation is a fundamental principle in ecology.