Question

What does the 10% rule state?

Answer 1

The 10% rule states that only 10% of energy is passed from each trophic level to the next

Explanation:

The reason only 10% passes to the next trophic level on a pyramid of energy is due to it needing to sustain life. It does this by digesting food, eating food, etc. Here's a picture to better explain it:

As you can see, the primary producer gets 100% of the energy, but it needs the other 90% to sustain life. Then, the 10% is passed to the next consumer, then 1%, then .1%, and that's where it usually stops.