Question

Why does the energy decrease from one trophic level to other in an ecosystem?

Answer 1

"Energy decreases as it moves up
trophic levels because energy is lost
as metabolic heat when the organisms
from one trophic level are consumed
by organisms from the next level.
Trophic level transfer efficiency
measures the amount of
energy that is transferred between
trophic levels."........

Answer 2

A pyramid of energy represents how much energy, initially from the sun, is retained or stored in the form of new biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem. Typically, about 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, thus preventing a large number of trophic levels.