The time period being referred to is the sensitive period. This time period is also referred to as the critical period. The importance of a critical period is such that it must involve certain stimuli from which an organisms learns and acquires traits. If some of these stimuli are not present in the critical period, the organism has difficulty acquiring the trait or skill, and may even find it to be impossible to learn the skill.
The ultimate souce of energy for the food chain is solar energy from the sun. It allows plants to convert the solar energy to chemical energy for growth. The growing plants in turn allow heterotropic animals to consume them to obtain energy of their own.
