ENERGY PYRAMIDS
IN ECOSYSTEMS
Prepared by: Ms. Mekhan Mordeno
REVIEW
Who remembers the key terms we have
learned so far? For this lecture, we should
know the meaning of...
• Ecosystem • Herbivore
• Producer • Omnivore
• Consumer • Carnivore
REVIEW
You already know about two different ways to show
relationships between organisms in an ecosystem:
1. Food chains, which represent each trophic level
as a single organism that is consumed by the
organism above it starting with producers and
ending with apex predators
2. Food webs, which depict groups of food chains
in their natural interconnected state
ENERGY PYRAMIDS
There is another way to show these
relationships. The third diagram is called an
energy pyramid. Energy pyramids show the
flow of energy from one trophic level to the
next in an ecosystem. The levels get smaller as
energy moves up the pyramid because there
are fewer organisms at higher trophic levels.
ENERGY PYRAMIDS
Biomass is the amount of energy in living
organisms. Food webs are defined by their
biomass. As producers capture light energy
and use it in making food, the producers
transform the sun’s energy into biomass.
There is more biomass in the lower trophic
level than in the higher trophic level.
Consumers ENERGY
(Apex Predators)
PYRAMIDS
Consumers
The base level of every energy pyramid
(Carnivores)
represents producers. This is the largest
y
erg
level because producers make up most of
En
Consumers Earth's biomass (number of organisms).
(Herbivores) When herbivores on the next trophic level
eat the producers, energy is transferred
between them. This higher level is smaller
Producers
than the previous one, because there are
fewer herbivores than producers.
THE 10% RULE
10% The general rule for energy transfer between
trophic levels is that only 10% of all energy
produced on one level will be passed on to the
10%
next level. For example, if 100 kilocalories of
energy are made by producers on an energy
10%
pyramid, 10 kilocalories of energy will be
available for the consumers that eat them.
10%
? CHECK FOR
UNDERSTANDING #1
200 kilocalories
Using the 10% Rule, figure out how much
energy would be available in each of the
? trophic levels pictured to the left.
Remember that to find a percentage of a
? number, you can multiply by either a
decimal or a fraction.
200,000 kilocalories
20
kilocalories CFU #1 SOLUTION
Starting at the bottom, multiply each level's
200 kilocalories energy output by 10% to see how much is
passed on to the next level.
2,000 kilocalories 200,000 kilocalories x 10%
200,000 kilocalories x 0.10 = 20,000 kilocalories
OR
200,000 kilocalories x 10%
20,000 kilocalories 200,000 kilocalories x 10/100
200,000 kilocalories x 1/10
200,000 kilocalories / 10 = 20,000 kilocalories
200,000 kilocalories
CRITICAL THINKING
How does the 10% rule explain why there
are fewer organisms the further up you
go on an energy pyramid?
Think about the question to yourself, then
write your thoughts in your notes. In three
minutes, we will share out to the class.
