EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -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.

Detailed explanation-3: -The base must have the largest amount of biomass (shown as the widest bar) so it can support the energy requirements of the organisms at higher levels. Each higher level in the pyramid gets smaller (the bars get narrower) because only about 10% of the available energy transfers to the next level.

Detailed explanation-4: -Energy is transferred between organisms in food webs from producers to consumers. The energy is used by organisms to carry out complex tasks. The vast majority of energy that exists in food webs originates from the sun and is converted (transformed) into chemical energy by the process of photosynthesis in plants.

Detailed explanation-5: -Energy is lost from the food chain as heat during respiration, due to incomplete digestion, and through excretion of the waste products of metabolism.