Energy in Ecosystems

• At each stage of the food chain approximately 90% of energy is lost as heat or in movement or undigested material so only 10% of energy is passed on from one stage to the next.
• A pyramid of numbers shows the total number of individual organisms at each level of the food chain.
• A pyramid of numbers may not always have a true pyramid shape e.g. if there is one large producer or a consumer has many parasites.
• A pyramid of energy shows the total quantity of available energy stored in the biomass of organisms at each level in the food chain. Always a true pyramid shape.