# Sunlight to muscle: how energy flows through life

> A process map exported from forks.world (https://forks.world). Author: Brian. Source: https://forks.world/p/cmv0ie421001sjw06scjh03u2
> It describes who does what, in what order, and with which technology. Read the plain-language sections first; the JSON at the end is the exact, complete data.

## Summary

- 10 steps across 1 layer
- Persona: Plants, Animals, You
- Technology / systems: The Sun

## How to read this file

- A process is made of **layers**. The main layer is the top level; any step of kind `subprocess` opens a detail layer with its own lanes and steps.
- **Lanes** are either persona (people/roles) or technology (systems). Each step belongs to one lane; `using` lists tools a person uses for that step.
- Step kinds: `start`, `task`, `decision` (its arrows carry the answer as a label), `subprocess`, `end`.

## Sunlight to muscle: how energy flows through life

Lanes:
- The Sun: technology / system (id `sun`)
- Plants: person / role (id `plant`)
- Animals: person / role (id `animal`)
- You: person / role (id `you`)

Steps, in the order they run:

1. **Sunlight arrives** [start; The Sun; id `e1`]
   - then A plant turns it into sugar
2. **A plant turns it into sugar** [subprocess; Plants; id `e2`], links to the published process "Photosynthesis: how a leaf turns sunlight into sugar" (https://forks.world/p/cmv0idxok0004jw06cbo8wrkv; full text at https://forks.world/api/public/cmv0idxok0004jw06cbo8wrkv/export)
   - then Stores the sugar as starch and fat
3. **Stores the sugar as starch and fat** [task; Plants; id `e3`]
   - then Something eats the plant
4. **Something eats the plant** [task; Animals; id `e4`]
   - then Do you eat the plant, or the animal that ate it?
5. **Do you eat the plant, or the animal that ate it?** [decision; You; id `e5`]
   - if "The plant" go to You eat the plant, getting the most energy; if "The animal" go to You eat the animal, a smaller share of the original energy
6. **You eat the plant, getting the most energy** [task; You; id `e6`]
   - then Your cells burn the food
7. **Your cells burn the food** [subprocess; You; id `e8`], links to the published process "Cellular respiration: how you burn food" (https://forks.world/p/cmv0ie350001ijw06ka2quchu; full text at https://forks.world/api/public/cmv0ie350001ijw06ka2quchu/export)
   - then Muscles move, your brain thinks, heat escapes
8. **Muscles move, your brain thinks, heat escapes** [task; You; id `e9`]
   - then The sun refills the system tomorrow
9. **The sun refills the system tomorrow** [end; The Sun; id `e10`]
10. **You eat the animal, a smaller share of the original energy** [task; You; id `e7`]
   - then Your cells burn the food

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  subgraph l_sun["The Sun"]
    n_e1(["Sunlight arrives"])
    n_e10(["The sun refills the system tomorrow"])
  end
  subgraph l_plant["Plants"]
    n_e2[["A plant turns it into sugar"]]
    n_e3["Stores the sugar as starch and fat"]
  end
  subgraph l_animal["Animals"]
    n_e4["Something eats the plant"]
  end
  subgraph l_you["You"]
    n_e5{"Do you eat the plant, or the animal that ate it?"}
    n_e6["You eat the plant, getting the most energy"]
    n_e7["You eat the animal, a smaller share of the original energy"]
    n_e8[["Your cells burn the food"]]
    n_e9["Muscles move, your brain thinks, heat escapes"]
  end
  n_e1 --> n_e2
  n_e2 --> n_e3
  n_e3 --> n_e4
  n_e4 --> n_e5
  n_e5 -->|"The plant"| n_e6
  n_e5 -->|"The animal"| n_e7
  n_e6 --> n_e8
  n_e7 --> n_e8
  n_e8 --> n_e9
  n_e9 --> n_e10
```

## Full data (JSON)

```json
{
  "title": "Sunlight to muscle: how energy flows through life",
  "maps": {
    "m_root": {
      "id": "m_root",
      "lanes": [
        {
          "id": "sun",
          "name": "The Sun",
          "type": "system"
        },
        {
          "id": "plant",
          "name": "Plants",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "animal",
          "name": "Animals",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "you",
          "name": "You",
          "type": "person"
        }
      ],
      "steps": [
        {
          "id": "e1",
          "kind": "start",
          "lane": "sun",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e2"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Sunlight arrives"
        },
        {
          "id": "e2",
          "kind": "subprocess",
          "lane": "plant",
          "link": {
            "id": "cmv0idxok0004jw06cbo8wrkv",
            "scope": "public",
            "title": "Photosynthesis: how a leaf turns sunlight into sugar"
          },
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e3"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "A plant turns it into sugar"
        },
        {
          "id": "e3",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "plant",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e4"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Stores the sugar as starch and fat"
        },
        {
          "id": "e4",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "animal",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e5"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Something eats the plant"
        },
        {
          "id": "e5",
          "kind": "decision",
          "lane": "you",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e6",
              "label": "The plant"
            },
            {
              "to": "e7",
              "label": "The animal"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Do you eat the plant, or the animal that ate it?"
        },
        {
          "id": "e6",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "you",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e8"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "You eat the plant, getting the most energy"
        },
        {
          "id": "e7",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "you",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e8"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "You eat the animal, a smaller share of the original energy"
        },
        {
          "id": "e8",
          "kind": "subprocess",
          "lane": "you",
          "link": {
            "id": "cmv0ie350001ijw06ka2quchu",
            "scope": "public",
            "title": "Cellular respiration: how you burn food"
          },
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e9"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Your cells burn the food"
        },
        {
          "id": "e9",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "you",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "e10"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Muscles move, your brain thinks, heat escapes"
        },
        {
          "id": "e10",
          "kind": "end",
          "lane": "sun",
          "next": [],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "The sun refills the system tomorrow"
        }
      ],
      "title": "Sunlight to muscle: how energy flows through life",
      "parent": null
    }
  }
}
```