Transfer Efficiency
Biology: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 19.2.7
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.
Producers
- Producers only manage to trap approximately 1% of light energy from the sun.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Transfer Efficiency
What percentage of light energy from the Sun are producers able to trap?
What percentage of energy is generally transferred from one trophic level to the next?
Which statements are correct about food chains?