Energy Pyramids & The 90/10 Rule
Energy pyramids show how energy flows through an ecosystem's trophic levels. The pyramid shape isn't an accident - it represents a crucial ecological principle about energy transfer.
Starting at the base, you find primary producers (plants and other autotrophs) that capture energy from the sun. As you move up through consumers, something important happens: only about 10% of energy transfers to the next level, while 90% is lost as heat or used for the organism's life processes.
This 90/10 rule explains why top predators are rare in nature. By the time energy reaches the fourth or fifth trophic level, very little of the original energy remains! That's why there are millions of plants, thousands of herbivores, hundreds of small carnivores, but only a few top predators.
🌟 Study Tip: When drawing energy pyramids, remember that the width represents the amount of energy available at each level, not necessarily the physical size of the organisms!