Ecosystems and Energy Flow — Important Questions

Forest, Grassland, Desert

Forest, grassland, and desert are land-based ecosystems, while lakes and oceans are aquatic ecosystems.

10%

Lindermann's 10% Law states that only 10% of energy is transferred as net energy from one trophic level to the next, with 90% lost as heat.

Grazing food chain, Detritus food chain, Parasitic food chain

The three types of food chains are grazing (starting from producers), detritus (starting from dead matter), and parasitic (involving parasites).

Upright

The pyramid of energy is always upright because energy decreases at each trophic level due to the 10% law - it can never be inverted.