<P> The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called the ecological efficiency . Consumers at each level convert on average only about 10 % of the chemical energy in their food to their own organic tissue ( the ten - percent law ) . For this reason , food chains rarely extend for more than 5 or 6 levels . At the lowest trophic level ( the bottom of the food chain ) , plants convert about 1 % of the sunlight they receive into chemical energy . It follows from this that the total energy originally present in the incident sunlight that is finally embodied in a tertiary consumer is about 0.001 % </P>
<P> The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called the ecological efficiency . Consumers at each level convert on average only about 10 % of the chemical energy in their food to their own organic tissue ( the ten - percent law ) . For this reason , food chains rarely extend for more than 5 or 6 levels . At the lowest trophic level ( the bottom of the food chain ) , plants convert about 1 % of the sunlight they receive into chemical energy . It follows from this that the total energy originally present in the incident sunlight that is finally embodied in a tertiary consumer is about 0.001 % </P>
average number of trophic level in the food chain of an ecosystem are
average number of trophic level in the food chain of an ecosystem are
5 or 6
5 or 6