Name: energy loss in food chains
Uploaded: 2025-10-23T11:48:54.000Z
Duration: 46 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

north-carolina-k-12-science-standard-course-of-study

NC K-12 Science Standard Course of Study

9-12

Earth and Environmental Science

Earth's Systems

ESS.EES.3.4

Trophic Efficiency

- En passant par les niveaux trophiques de l'écosystème,de grandes quantités d'énergie sont transformées en chaleur. 
Cette transformation de l'énergieest le deuxième principe de la thermodynamique. 
Dans les forêts tempérées,l'énergie fabriquée pour les consommateurs principauxpar les producteurs principaux est de 6 000 kilocaloriespar mètre carré et par an. 
Cependant, les principaux consommateurs peuvent assimilerà peu près 10 % de cette quantité disponibledans le prochain niveau trophique. 
Cette mesure de transfert d'énergies'appelle l'efficacité trophiqueet est généralement le facteur principallimitant une chaîne alimentaire dans un écosystèmeà cause d'un manque d'énergiepour soutenir les niveaux supérieurs.

Tucker, Marlee A. et Tracey L. Rogers. « Examen de la taille corporelle prédateur-proie, du niveau trophique et de la masse corporelle chez les mammifères marins et terrestres. » Actes de la Royal Society B : Biological Sciences 281, n° 1797 (22 décembre 2014). [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2103 » target="__blank">Source</a>]

Sanders, Dirk, Andrea Moser, Jason Newton et F. J. Frank van Veen. « L’efficacité de l’assimilation trophique augmente nettement aux niveaux trophiques supérieurs dans la chaîne alimentaire hôte-parasitoïde à quatre niveaux. » Actes de la Royal Society B : Biological Sciences 283, n° 1826 (16 mars 2016). [<a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.3043 » target="__blank">Source</a>]

efficacité trophique

L’efficacité de transfert de niveau trophique (TLTE) est une mesure du transfert total d’énergie d’un niveau trophique à l’autre. En raison d’une perte d’énergie importante en tant que chaleur métabolique, une moyenne de seulement 10 % de l’énergie d’origine obtenue est transmise au niveau suivant. Ce schéma de perte d’énergie limite considérablement le nombre possible de niveaux trophiques dans une chaîne alimentaire.
 
 <h4>Efficacité de transfert de niveau trophique</h4>
 
 D’après le deuxième principe de la thermodynamique, de grandes quantités d’énergie sont perdues par l’écosystème et d’un niveau trophique à l’autre au fur et à mesure qu’elle est transférée et transformée. Dans les systèmes biologiques, cette énergie est perdue sous forme de chaleur métabolique pendant la respiration à mesure qu’un organisme en consomme un autre. La mesure du transfert d’énergie d’un niveau trophique à l’autre est connue sous le nom d’efficacité de transfert de niveau trophique (TLTE) et c’est une fonction de la production d’énergie du niveau trophique actuel et celle du niveau précédent. Cette mesure a de vastes implications quant à la longueur totale des chaînes alimentaires.
 
 <h4>La “ règle des 10 ”</h4>
 
 En général, seulement environ 10 % de l’énergie est transférée d’un niveau trophique à l’autre, et ce nombre peut varier de 5-20 % selon l’écosystème. Cela signifie que 90 % de l’énergie obtenue est perdue à chaque niveau trophique, impactant considérablement le nombre maximum de niveaux possibles dans l’écosystème. Par exemple, si un écosystème recevait 600 000 kcal d’énergie solaire du soleil, les producteurs primaires ne transmettraient que 60 000 kcal aux herbivores, qui ne feraient passer que 6 000 kcal aux consommateurs secondaires, 600 kcal aux consommateurs tertiaires et 60 kcal aux consommateurs quaternaires au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire. Un prédateur ultime comme un loup, qui a besoin d’une moyenne de 2000 kcal par jour, devrait consommer une très grande quantité de consommateurs secondaires ou tertiaires pour atteindre son quota calorique par jour.

Efficacité trophique

L’efficacité de transfert au niveau trophique (TLTE) est une mesure du transfert d’énergie total d’un niveau trophique à l’autre. En raison d’une perte d’énergie importante ...

Education

Enseignement

JoVE Core

Biology

Biologie

Ecology

Écologie

Ecosystems

Écosystèmes

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

TERMES ET CONCEPTS CLÉS

energy loss in food chains

Trophic level transfer efficiency describes how much energy moves from one level of a food chain to the next. It shows why energy drops sharply as organisms eat and are eaten. In most ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy passes on.

This energy loss follows the second law of thermodynamics. In living systems, much of the energy is lost as metabolic heat during respiration. Trophic level transfer efficiency, or TLTE, measures this transfer by comparing the energy produced at one trophic level with the energy available from the previous level.

The 10% rule is a useful guide, although the transfer can range from about 5% to 20% depending on the ecosystem. That means about 90% of the energy is lost at each step. This loss limits how many trophic levels a food chain can support.

A simple energy example shows the pattern. If an ecosystem received 600,000 Kcal of solar energy, primary producers would pass only 60,000 Kcal to herbivores. Those herbivores would pass 6,000 Kcal to secondary consumers, then 600 Kcal to tertiary consumers, and 60 Kcal to quaternary consumers.

This energy shortage also affects top predators. A wolf, for example, needs about 2000 Kcal per day. To meet that need, it would have to eat a large number of secondary or tertiary consumers.

Energy Loss in Food Chains

what is an ecosystem?

Ecosystem Zones and Climate

Ecosystems are shaped by living and nonliving parts of an environment, and they can be grouped as terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems depend on climate. Aquatic ecosystems are divided into freshwater and marine systems, and depth affects water temperature and how much sunlight reaches the water. Terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes. A biome is defined by climate and by the organisms that live there. Near the equator, rainforests have high, aseasonal temperatures and high annual...

trophic levels

Food Chains and Energy Flow

Food chains show how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. Each organism holds a trophic level, or a specific place in that chain. The lowest level includes primary producers, which make their own food using energy from the sun or from chemicals. Organisms at the next levels are heterotrophs, which get energy from other organisms below them. Primary consumers are herbivores, and they feed on autotrophs, also called primary producers. Secondary and tertiary consumers are carnivores...

primary production

GPP, NPP, and Ecosystem Energy

Gross primary production and net primary production describe how energy enters and moves through ecosystems. Primary producers, or autotrophs, make their own food. They can do this by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and they can also gain energy by consuming other organisms. The rate at which producers capture and store this energy is called gross primary production, or GPP. Not all of the energy in GPP stays available to the rest of the ecosystem. Primary producers use some energy for...

production efficiency

Energy Transfer as Biomass Efficiency

Net production efficiency shows how much energy organisms turn into biomass for the next trophic level. It focuses on the usable energy stored in body tissue, not the energy lost as heat or excreted wastes. This makes it a key idea for understanding energy flow through ecosystems. As energy moves from one organism to the next, only biomass can serve as food for the next trophic level. The rest of the energy is used in metabolism and is lost over time. Net production efficiency, or NPE, is the...

trophic efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency describes how much energy moves from one level of a food chain to the next. It shows why energy drops sharply as organisms eat and are eaten. In most ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy passes on. This energy loss follows the second law of thermodynamics. In living systems, much of the energy is lost as metabolic heat during respiration. Trophic level transfer efficiency, or TLTE, measures this transfer by comparing the energy produced at one trophic...

what are biogeochemical cycles?

Nutrient Recycling in Ecosystems

Nutrient recycling in ecosystems keeps the elements needed for life moving through living and nonliving parts of the environment. Elements such as water, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are present in limited amounts, so they must be conserved and reused. These movements are called biogeochemical cycles. These nutrients can exist in several chemical forms. They may spend long periods in the atmosphere, on land, under the land, or in aquatic environments. Decomposition is a key part of...

the water cycle

Water Movement Through Earth Systems

Water movement through Earth systems connects the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, the land, and living things. The hydrosphere includes every place where water is stored or moves. Because water supports living processes, its movement is important for ecosystem dynamics. The cycle starts when the sun warms surface water on land and in the oceans. That water evaporates and enters the atmosphere as vapor. Water can also move into the air by sublimation, which is ice changing directly into vapor, and...

the carbon cycle

Carbon Movement in Living Systems

Carbon moves through living systems and Earth over short and long time scales. It is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and it cycles through ecosystems by passing between organisms and by moving through rocks, oceans, and the atmosphere. Human activities, including farming and burning fossil fuels, have changed this balance. In the biological carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with water to form bicarbonate. Primary producers, or autotrophs, use carbon dioxide and...

the nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen in Soil and Living Things

Nitrogen in soil and living things moves through ecosystems in several forms. Nitrogen atoms are found in proteins and DNA. Most animals and plants cannot use nitrogen gas, which is the main form of nitrogen on Earth. Nitrogen must first be changed into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can move through food webs. About 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen gas, but few organisms can use it in that form. Nitrogen fixation changes nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3).

the phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus Movement in Soil and Water

Phosphorus moves through ecosystems mostly as phosphate ions in soil, water, sediment, and rocks. Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, it is not found in the atmosphere as a gas. It is also often a limiting nutrient, which means it is in short supply in many environments. Phosphorus is important in DNA, cell membranes, bones, and teeth. It is found in minerals, sediment, volcanic ash, and aerosols. As rocks and sediment weather over time, they release inorganic phosphate. That phosphate then...

the sulfur cycle

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain

Sulfur moves through ecosystems as part of the chemical cycle that supports life. It is an important element in proteins and in amino acids such as cysteine, which helps give proteins their structure. On land, sulfur reaches ecosystems in several ways. Weak sulfuric acid can fall with precipitation, sulfur can drop directly from the atmosphere, rocks can weather and release sulfur, and geothermal vents can add it as well. Plants and microorganisms take sulfur up from the soil and change it...

bioremediation

Bioremediation in Soil and Oil Cleanup

Bioremediation uses prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. It is a practical way to reduce harmful chemicals in contaminated soil and water. In agriculture, fertilizers and pesticides can leach into groundwater, streams, and lakes. Microbes and bacteria can help break down these toxins. One example is atrazine, an environmental toxin found in many fertilizers, which can be removed from soils by the bacterial species Rhizobium and Tricoderma sp. Bioremediation...

key terms and concepts

Learn how trophic level transfer efficiency limits food chains, why only about 10% of energy moves upward, and how heat loss affects top predators.

Energy Loss in Food Chains | JoVE K12

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Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

Life Science

interdependent-relationships-in-ecosystems

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

3.1.9-12.I

matter-and-energy-in-organisms-and-ecosystems

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

3.1.9-12.F

3.1.9-12.H

Louisiana Student Standards for Science

High School

Life Sciences

from-molecules-to-organisms-structures-and-processes

From Molecules To Organisms: Structures And Processes

HS-LS1-7

ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy And Dynamics

HS-LS2-1

HS-LS2-4

Environmental Science

Tennessee Academic Standards

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

BIO1.LS2.4

Virginia  Standards of Learning

HIgh School

BIO.8

BIO.8.b

LS.5

LS.5.b

Physical Science

PS.5

PS.5.b

new-jersey-student-learning-standards-for-science

New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science

Arizona Science Standards

HS.L2

HS.L2U1.19

Alabama Course of Study Science

Ecosystems: Interactions Energy and Dynamics

9-12.B.2.6

9-12.EVS.1.1

Next Generation Science Standards

HS-LS2-6

Florida Department of Education

SC.912.L.17

SC.912.L.17.9

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

BIO.13

BIO.13.B

Georgia Standards of Excellence

Botany

SBO6.

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South Carolina College and Career Ready Science Standards

B-LS2-1.

B-LS2-2.

Earth and Space Science (ESS)

Earth’s Systems

E-ESS2-2.

E-ESS2-3.

SEV1.

SEV1.d

new-york-state-science-learning-standards

New York State Science Learning Standards

HS-LS2-3.

HS-LS2-4.

Oceanography

SO3.

SO3.2

SEC4.

SEC4.d

SB5.b

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ESS.EES.2.2

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ESS.EES.2.5

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Carry out investigations to explain the properties of water.

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Energy Loss in Food Chains

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