Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment
Percentage Energy Transfer
What is Percentage Energy Transfer?
A calculation expressing how much of the energy available at one trophic level becomes available at the next, as a percentage. The energy available at the higher trophic level is divided by the energy available at the lower trophic level and multiplied by one hundred. Both quantities must be in the same units and must refer to the same area and the same period of time, and the division must run from the higher level over the lower level, never the other way round.
This definition is part of the Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Last reviewed Syllabus 2026-2028