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hat is trophic level efficiency? * It would be interesting to measure the efficiency of the transfer of energy between trophic levels. To do this, ecologists measure trophic level efficiency, which is the ratio of amount of biological production at one trophic level divided by the biological production at the trophic level right below it in a food chain. Usually this is expressed as a percentage of the lower trophic level. A good formula to use is as follows:Trophic level efficiency (%) =Production at trophic level n X 100Production at trophic level n-1 * For example, if the production of herbivorous rabbits is 1100 kJ/m2/year, and the production of the grasses they feed upon is 12,000 kJ/m2/year, then the % trophic level efficiency is: 1100 kJ/m2/year X 10012,000 kJ/m2/year = 9.16 % * Most studies of trophic level efficiency indicate efficiencies of 10 % or lower. The efficiency of transfer of solar energy to green plants is 1-3 %. Wolves feeding on moose in Isle Royale National Park have a trophic level efficiency of 0.01 %. In managed agricultural ecosystems, the trophic level efficiency may approach or exceed 10 %.
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