Trophic Levels,

Energy transfer
and Pyramids
Trophic Levels – is the
position an organism
occupies in a food
chain. It refers to food or
feeding.
Food Chain
 Food Chains
The energy flow from one trophic level
to the other is know as a food chain
Producers are at the first ENERGY LEVEL
Primary Consumers are the SECOND
ENERGY LEVEL
Secondary consumers are at the THIRD
ENERGY LEVEL
Trophic Levels (feeding levels)

1
Food Web

Food webs are

multiple food chains.
Food Webs
Food webs show
ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS
other possible pathways
through which an
organism can obtain
energy
Food webs
 Energy Level Producer, primary
consumer, secondary
consumer, tertiary
consumer?
Grass
1st producer
Mouse Primary
2nd consumer
Grasshopper

Frog

Owl

Hawk
 Energy Level Producer, primary
consumer, secondary
consumer, tertiary
consumer
Grass 1st Producer

Mouse 2nd Primary consumer

Grasshopper 2nd Primary consumer

Frog 3rd Secondary

consumer

Owl 3rd and 4th Secondary and

tertiary consumer
Hawk 3rd Secondary
consumer
Transfer of Energy

Energy lost from chain

“link” to “link” is
significant!
 from grass to sheep, loss is about
90%!

HEAT HEAT
90% 90%

100% Energy 10% Original

Available 1% Original
Energy!
Energy!
Energy lost from one trophic level
(energy level) to the next level can be
represented by a pyramid
4⁰
CONSUMERS

3
CONSUMERS
2 CONSUMERS

1 CONSUMERS

PRODUCERS
Each level above only gets
10% of the energy from below
 Ex: 10,000 J of producers (plants) only give 10% of
energy to primary consumers
1,000 J to primary consumers (snails,
minnows, dragonflies)
100 J to secondary consumers (small fish)
10 J to tertiary consumers (big fish)
1 J to quaternary consumers (fish hawk)
ENERGY PYRAMID

1J

10 J

100 J

1,000 J

10,000 J
Usually no more than 5 trophic
levels since 6th level would have
very little energy to keep it alive
Ecological Pyramid

• Which level has the most energy?

• Which level has the most organisms?
• Which level has the least organisms?
• Which level has the least energy?