The percentage of energy in one trophic level that transfers to the next level in the average ecosystem is 10 percent. Trophic levels are the feeding positions of all organisms that are located in a certain ecosystem. Trophic levels describe what different organisms consume. As energy is transferred from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem, it decreases. Only a small amount of the energy (as little as 10 percent) at any trophic level is moved to the next trophic level. The remaining energy is lost mainly as heat through metabolic processes.

See explanation

Explanation:

According to the second law of thermodynamics, energy transfer from one trophic level to another is not 100% efficient. Some energy is lost along the way from one trophic level to another.

The reason for this loss in energy is that the organisms at each trophic level harnesses the energy that they derive from complex organic matter to carry out their own metabolic processes.

Hence, only about 10% of the energy originally derived from complex food materials is passed on to the next trophic level.

Summarily, only about 10 percent of energy derived from food and stored in biomass in a particular trophic level is passed from one level to the next. This is commonly referred to as “the 10 percent rule”. This rule limits the number of trophic levels that can be supported by a given ecosystem.

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