Science·Ecosystems & Habitats·conceptual
Energy Loss Between Levels
Explain how energy is transferred between trophic levels in a food chain, why energy is lost at each stage, and use pyramids of biomass/numbers to represent this
Suggested ages 11–12
Evidence of understanding
- Explains that only about 10% of energy passes from one trophic level to the next
- Constructs a pyramid of biomass from data and explains its shape
- Identifies where energy is lost at each trophic level (heat, movement, waste)
- Explains why food chains rarely have more than five trophic levels
Assessment prompt
If Energy Loss Between Levels was asked why there are so many more plants than foxes in a field, could they explain how energy gets lost at every step of a food chain and what that means for the size of each population?
Standards alignment
MS-LS2-1US · ngss-ms
MS-LS2-1
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Middle School
MS-LS2-4US · ngss-ms
MS-LS2-4
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Middle School
KS3.Sci.Bio.Ecosystem.1GB · uk-nc-2013
Interdependence in an ecosystem
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · KS3