Tag: Ecological pyramid

Research from the Flemish Institute for Healthy Living revealed that the traditional food pyramid was often misinterpreted, leading people to believe top-tier foods were the most important. The concept of an inverse food pyramid has emerged as a response to such issues, offering multiple re-interpretations of nutritional guidelines to promote better health and understanding.

Research indicates that on average, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next, a key principle of what is the food hierarchy. This ecological structure organizes all living organisms by their feeding relationships, illustrating the critical flow of energy that sustains life on Earth.

Approximately 90% of energy is lost as heat at each step of a food chain, a phenomenon known as the 10% rule. This fundamental ecological principle reveals the answer to the question: **which group has the most energy in the food chain?** The answer lies at the very bottom, with the primary producers who capture energy directly from the sun.