Symposium Introduction

Spending on breathing many times more energy to increase the mass of the organism. Specific ratios depend on the stage of development and physiological state of individuals. In young spending on growth could reach significant value, while adults use the energy of food is almost solely on the maintenance of metabolism and maturation of sex products.

The intensity of food declines with age.

Thus, the bulk of dietary energy consumption goes to maintain their livelihoods, and only a relatively small - at construction of the body, growth and reproduction. In other words, most of the energy in transition from one food chain to another is lost, because the next consumers can do only the energy that lies in the mass edible organism. A rough estimate of these losses amount to about 90%

Every act of energy transfer through the food chain. Consequently, if calorie vegetable organism 1000 joules, with full eat it herbivore in the body of the last remains of this portion of 100, the body of a predator - only 10 J, and if this predator is eaten by another, then on his will account for only 1 J, ie 0,1%.