Question

What is a 10% law of energy?

Answer 1

10% law (Lindeman's law): Only about 10% of the energy stored at one trophic level is transferred to the next higher trophic level. The remaining 90% is lost mainly as respiratory heat, not assimilated material and unutilised energy.

Numerical illustration:

Given: energy at producers = 10000 kcal Formula: \[\text{Energy at next level} = \text{Energy at current level} \times \frac{10}{100}\]

Calculation: \[10000 \times \frac{10}{100} = 1000\ \text{kcal}\]

\[1000 \times \frac{10}{100} = 100\ \text{kcal}\]

\[100 \times \frac{10}{100} = 10\ \text{kcal}\] 

Final: Mice get 1000 kcal, skunks 100 kcal and wolves 10 kcal.