4.7 - Energy Efficiency

- pyramid of energy 
- 100% of producer at the start but only 10% makes it to the primary consumer level and only 1% makes it to the secondary consumer level 
- Causes of Losses 

- 100kj of grass energy - represents grass eaten by the herbivore 
- only 10kj of the original 100kj will become of the mouses body and tissue 
- reasons for this: mouse have to walk around and fine their food and carry out the process of respiration 
- not ALL 100kj is available for the mouse such as the cellulose (cell wall) cannot be digested and this contains energy - this is lost in the form of feces 
- 90kj of energy left is lost from respiration and undigested food 
- When the owl eats the mouse it can only get 1% of the original 100% so it gets 1kj of grass
- Losses in the owl is from respiration, producing energy for flight, digestion, movement, the nervous system 
- not ALL of the mouse is available to the mouse 
- ALL organisms finally die and are broken down by micro-organisms living on the dead and decaying remains of other micro-organisms