The Second Law of Thermodynamics help?

Question

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that no energy transfer is 100% efficient and all energy is eventually degraded to a less useful form. How does this relate to feeding pyramids?

Answer 1

I am guessing you mean energy transfer from one trophic level to another. The suns energy is caught and carbon is fixed at the autotrophic or lowest level. At each subsequnt level of consumption a portion of the suns energy is lost to the environment, ultimately as heat. The rule of thumb is 10% transfers to the consumer. However that is not very precise. It actually ranges from 15-50% if the food is plant material, and from 60-90% if the food is animal material.
Metabolic needs vary, on average vertebrates use about 98% of assimilated energy for metabolism to maintain homeothermic stasis, leaving only 2% for growth and reproduction. Invertebrates get by with only ~80% of assimilated energy for metabolism because poikilotherms do not regulate their temperatures internally.
L1 plant->L2 insect-> L3 snake -> L4 raptor ->L5 fungus & bacteria

Answer 2

Like when you eat fruit you get direct energy from sun so fruits, vegetables, and grains provide you with more energy to do biological work. When you eat an animal that was cornfed like chicken you only get about 10% then if you eat a pig that was fed chicken you just get about .10% or something like that I forget the exact percentages.