Question

Describe any differences which occur in energy availability at various trophic levels.

Answer 1

Energy availability decreases at successive trophic levels due to heat loss during metabolic activities. Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next, known as the 10% law. Thus, energy at each higher trophic level is roughly 10% of that at the level below, leading to progressively less energy available to higher consumers in the food chain. This limits the length of food chains in ecosystems.