FOOD WEB SIMULATION

1000 units of energy in the plants leave only 100 in the herbivores, 10 in the carnivores and exactly 1 at the apex, the rest escaping as heat. That is why food chains rarely run beyond four or five levels, and why only a logarithmic scale can hold all four levels on one axis. Toxins flow the other way: mercury and DDT do not dilute as they climb, they concentrate, ending up densest in the apex predator that never touched the source.

▸ Building the 4 trophic-level pyramid…
▸ Linking the solar energy flow → plants
▸ Calibrating the 10% rule
▸ Loading the food web & decomposers
▸ Starting biomagnification…
▸ Ready — Online. ✅
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Simulation room Food Web

Food Web & Energy Pyramid
Online
10% · pyramid · cascade
Energy pyramid
🔺 The 10% rule
Levels—
Producer energy—
Apex energy—
Efficiency/level—
Toxin buildup—
Viewing level—
Note
Energy flows one way from the Sun upward: each level keeps only ~10%, most is lost as heat — so chains rarely exceed 4–5 levels.
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Pick a "Scenario" (lose the apex / overhunting / toxin buildup…) · click a trophic level or concept for details
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Energy of 4 levels over time (log scale) plantsherbivorescarnivoresapex
About Food Web & Energy Pyramid

1000 units of energy in the plants leave only 100 in the herbivores, 10 in the carnivores and exactly 1 at the apex, the rest escaping as heat. That is why food chains rarely run beyond four or five levels, and why only a logarithmic scale can hold all four levels on one axis. Toxins flow the other way: mercury and DDT do not dilute as they climb, they concentrate, ending up densest in the apex predator that never touched the source.

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