Question

If producers generate 100%.
Of the energy what percentage of that energy is left by the time it reaches tietary consumers

Answer 1

Energy transfer in ecosystems follows the concept of trophic levels, where energy is lost at each level due to respiration, heat loss, and other metabolic processes. Typically, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next.

If we start with producers generating 100% of the energy:

1. **Producers to Primary Consumers**: ~10% is transferred to primary consumers, meaning 10% of the original energy reaches this level.
2. **Primary Consumers to Secondary Consumers**: ~10% of the energy available to primary consumers is transferred to secondary consumers, leaving about 1% of the original energy.
3. **Secondary Consumers to Tertiary Consumers**: Finally, ~10% of the energy available to secondary consumers is transferred to tertiary consumers, resulting in about 0.1% of the original energy reaching tertiary consumers.

Thus, by the time the energy reaches tertiary consumers, approximately **0.1%** of the original energy produced by the producers is left.