Ecosystems: structure, types, energy flow
Environmental Science · Engineering
Study notes
In a grassland, 10,000 kJ of sunlight becomes 1,000 kJ of grass biomass (1% captured), then 100 kJ in rabbits, then 10 kJ in foxes. Each trophic level keeps roughly 10%; the rest is lost as heat and respiration. This is why food chains rarely exceed 4-5 levels.