How do we represent the amount of usable energy at each feeding level?

The amount of usable energy at each feeding level, or trophic level, is typically represented using a pyramid of energy, which illustrates the flow of energy through an ecosystem. Each level of the pyramid denotes the energy available to organisms at that level, with producers at the base having the most energy, and subsequent levels (herbivores, carnivores) having progressively less due to energy loss through metabolic processes and heat. This representation highlights the inefficiencies in energy transfer, generally showing that only about 10% of the energy is passed from one level to the next.