If producers generate 100%.

Of the energy what percentage of that energy is left by the time it reaches tietary consumers

1 answer

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.