5.1.14

Transfer of Biomass

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Transfer of Biomass

Energy is wasted at each trophic level in a food chain, meaning less biomass and energy is passed on to the next organism in the food chain.

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Producers

  • Producers only manage to trap approximately 1% of light energy from the sun.
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General rule for transfer efficiency

  • A general rule for transfer efficiency between all trophic levels is that 10% of energy from a given trophic level will be available to the next trophic level.
    • This progressive loss of energy usually means that there are fewer individuals at higher trophic levels - and usually fewer than five trophic levels in a food chain.
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Example

  • Livestock eating plants, and humans then eating this livestock, is an example of inefficient energy transfer compared to humans simply eating the plants.
  • This is because there is an additional trophic level where energy is lost.

Jump to other topics

1The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3Organism Functions

3.1Respiration

3.2Gas Exchange

3.3Transport

3.4Excretion

3.5Coordination & Response

4Reproduction & Inheritance

5Ecology

6Biological Resources

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