Science
Energy flow.
Definition
The movement of energy through an ecosystem, starting from the sun and passing through producers, consumers, and decomposers. At each trophic level, about 90% of energy is lost as heat, so only about 10% is transferred to the next level.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Sunlight → grass → rabbit → hawk, with energy lost as heat at each step
- 2 Only about 10% of energy from corn passes to a cow that eats it
- 3 Decomposers breaking down dead organisms and releasing heat energy
Key Fact
The 10% rule: only ~10% of energy transfers between trophic levels
Studied in