# Biomass Pyramid & Energy Flow (10% Law) Trophic pyramid from producer energy and transfer efficiency: per-level energy, % of base, losses, and why energy pyramids stay upright. > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/biomass-pyramid - **Category:** Health - **Keywords:** biomass pyramid, energy pyramid, ecological pyramid, trophic levels, 10 percent law, lindeman, energy flow, food chain, ecology calculator, trophic efficiency, ecosystem ecology, trophic cascade ## Overview Calculate a trophic energy or biomass pyramid from producer-level input and transfer efficiency. Enter producer energy or standing biomass, choose a unit, set trophic efficiency (default 10%), and pick how many levels to show. You get remaining energy at each level, percent of the producer base, losses at each transfer, and a clear upright pyramid that shows why food chains stay short. ## Inputs - **Producer energy/biomass (trophic level 1)** (number): Energy fixed (or standing biomass) at the producer level — any consistent unit. - **Unit** (select) - **Trophic transfer efficiency (%)** (number): Share of energy passed to the next level. Lindeman's classic value is 10%; measured values are typically 5–20%. - **Trophic levels to show** (number): From producers (T1) up to T6. Food chains longer than 5 levels are rare precisely because of the energy decay. ## When to use - When you need per-level energy or biomass for a food chain using Lindeman’s 10% law or a measured 5–20% efficiency. - When comparing how transfer efficiency and chain length change energy left for top consumers. - When you want a pyramid plus a table of remaining energy, % of base, and losses after each trophic step. ## How it works - Enter producer energy or biomass at trophic level 1 and select a consistent unit (energy or biomass). - Set trophic transfer efficiency (default 10%; typical measured values 5–20%) and the number of levels from producers (T1) up to T6. - Each next level is the previous level multiplied by efficiency; the rest is treated as loss (heat, waste, unused biomass). - Results show remaining energy or biomass, percent of the producer base, losses per transfer, and an upright pyramid with a per-level energy-budget table. ## Use cases - Build a textbook grassland energy pyramid from producer kJ/m²/year at 10% transfer. - Compare a productive ecosystem at 15% efficiency versus the classic 10% law. - Show students why top predators receive only a tiny fraction of producer energy after three or four transfers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the 10% law? Lindeman’s 10% law is the classic rule that about 10% of energy at one trophic level is transferred to the next. The rest is lost as heat, excretion, or unused biomass. Measured efficiencies are often 5–20%. ### Can I use biomass instead of energy? Yes. Choose g dry mass / m² or kg / ha. The same transfer math applies as long as the unit is consistent from producers through the top level. ### Why do energy pyramids stay upright? Transfer efficiency is always below 100%, so energy decreases at every step. Energy pyramids therefore cannot invert, even when number or biomass pyramids sometimes do. ### How many trophic levels can I show? You can show 3 to 6 levels (T1 producers through T6). Food chains longer than about five levels are rare because energy decays so quickly. ### What does the calculator output? Per-level energy or biomass in your chosen unit, each level as a percent of the producer base, losses at each transfer, and an upright pyramid with a level-by-level table. ## Related tools - [Chinese Stroke Order Decomposer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/chinese-stroke-order-decomposition): Decompose a Chinese character into its stroke sequence and radical structure, and render an SVG stroke-order demonstration with component coloring. - [CSS Gradient Mesh Generator (Conic + Radial Blend)](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/css-gradient-mesh-generator): Layered radial-gradient "mesh" backgrounds with conic underlays, blend modes, grain and seeded layouts — live preview, CSS and Tailwind export. - [Glassmorphism CSS Snippet Builder](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/glassmorphism-css-snippet-builder): End-to-end frosted-glass / neumorphism CSS snippet generator: blur+saturate backdrop, tint, border, layered shadows, grain overlay, @supports fallback, -webkit- prefix, Tailwind mapping and live preview. - [Kepler Orbit Solver](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/kepler-orbit-solver): Numerically solve Kepler’s equation E − e·sin(E) = M for eccentric anomaly E, true anomaly ν, orbital radius and relative speed, with Newton/bisection/fixed-point methods, convergence history and an SVG orbit diagram - [Audio Melody Contour Extractor](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-melody-contour-extractor): Extract a dominant melody path from audio and export MIDI, note events, a pitch contour, SVG, and JSON in one ZIP. - [SVG Favicon Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/svg-favicon-generator): Turn an SVG or raster logo into a complete favicon pack with ICO, PNG variants, Apple touch icon, and web manifest - [SVG Sprite Sheet Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/svg-sprite-generator): Merge up to 30 SVG icons into one sprite sheet (symbol or view mode) with viewBox normalization, dedup, optional currentColor stripping, sanitization, live preview and usage snippets. - [Image Watermark Diagonal](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/image-watermark-diagonal): Add diagonal watermarks to images with customizable angle, size, opacity, and positioning across the image ## Samples - [Test Pyramid Examples - Testing Strategy Guide](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/test-pyramid-examples): Comprehensive test pyramid implementation examples including unit tests, integration tests, E2E tests, test organization, and strategic testing patterns for balanced software quality assurance - [SVG Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/svg-samples): Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) samples demonstrating various SVG features and techniques - [Web Image Processing Python Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/web-image-processing-python): Web Python image processing examples using PIL/Pillow including reading, saving, resizing, and format conversion - [D3.js Data Visualization Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/d3js-data-visualization): Comprehensive D3.js data visualization examples including charts, maps, animations, and interactive visualizations ## Related content - [Population Ecology, Biodiversity, and Food Web Calculators](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/population-ecology-biodiversity-food-web-calculators): Model population growth, carrying capacity, species interactions, field estimates, biodiversity, and trophic energy transfer in one ecology workflow. - [SVG, Favicon, and Icon Asset Workflow Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/svg-favicon-icon-workflows): Build favicon packs, optimize SVG assets, convert icons across ICO, PNG, JPG, WebP, and SVG, and prepare web-ready image assets in one hub. - [Audio Encoding and Format Conversion Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/audio-convert): Compare audio format conversion, bitrate changes, sample-rate conversion, codec swaps, and export tools in one hub for delivery and archive workflows. - [Image Format Conversion and Animated Export Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/image-convert): Compare image format converters for JPG, PNG, GIF, AVIF, WebP, TIFF, ICO, base64, and animation-friendly exports in one hub.