AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Energy decreases as it moves up trophic levels because energy is lost as metabolic heat when the organisms from one trophic level are consumed by organisms from the next level. Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) measures the amount of energy that is transferred between trophic levels.

Detailed explanation-2: -At each stage of a food chain, most of the chemical energy is converted to other forms such as heat, and does not remain within the ecosystem.

Detailed explanation-3: -At each trophic level after this “consumer” species eat the species from the level below them. In this way, energy, which is stored in living material, or “biomass", moves up the chain. Primary consumers eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers and so on.

Detailed explanation-4: -As you move up the pyramid, through the trophic levels to primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, the amount of energy decreases and the levels become smaller. While energy can not be created or destroyed is it released as heat within each level. Approximately only 10% of energy is passed from one level to the next.