In an ecosystem, energy transfer occurs in a series of steps known as trophic levels. The first level consists of producers, like plants, which convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. When primary consumers, such as herbivores, eat these plants, only a fraction of the energy stored in the producers is transferred to them.
Typically, only about 10% of the energy from producers is converted into biomass by primary consumers. This means that if a plant stores 100 joules of energy, the herbivore that eats it would only gain around 10 joules of energy. This significant loss of energy occurs due to various factors, including metabolic processes, respiration, and some parts of the plants that are inedible or not fully consumed.
This concept is crucial for understanding food chains and ecological dynamics, as it illustrates the limitations on the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem based on energy availability. Thus, the transfer of energy from producers to primary consumers showcases the inefficiencies involved in energy flow within ecological systems.