4.8 understand the transfer of substances and energy along a food chain

- Energy enters most ecosystems via sunlight, where it is then converted to chemical energy by producers via photosynthesis.
- However! Only 10% of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next.

Energy is lost to:

1. Respiration:
- Energy is lost as heat energy via respiration to enable the movement of an organism.

2. Incomplete consumption:
- Energy may be lost as not all of the food is consumed by an organism. For example, parts of food such as roots or bones aren't eaten as they are indigestible, so they pass through organisms and come out as waste.

3. Excretion:
- Incomplete digestion results in energy loss via egestion to produce feces, which is then broken down by decomposers.