EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Flow of energy and the second law of thermodynamics : In the food chain, according to the 10% rule, only 10% of energy is transferred to each trophic level. The rest of energy is lost as heat due to the process of respiration increasing the entropy of the system.

Detailed explanation-2: -Not all the energy is passed from one level of the food chain to the next. About 90 per cent of energy may be lost as heat (released during respiration), through movement, or in materials that the consumer does not digest. The energy stored in undigested materials can be transferred to decomposers.

Detailed explanation-3: -The energy flow is the amount of energy that moves along the food chain. This energy flow is also known as calorific flow.

Detailed explanation-4: -The energy decreases at each trophic level of food chain, as part of energy is lost as heat and the major part of energy is liberated during respiration for use in various activities.