Biology · KS3 Y8 · Ecosystems

Energy transfer & pyramids

Energy transfer & pyramidsFree4:33Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standard
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What you need to know

  • A food chain begins with a producer and continues through primary and secondary consumers.
  • Only about a tenth of the stored energy passes to the next level, so an energy pyramid is wide at the base and narrow at the top.
  • The rest is used in movement and lost as heat and waste, which limits how many top consumers an ecosystem can support.
  • Real feeding links join into a food web, so changing one population affects several others.

In this clip

Runs 4:33, from 0:44 to 5:17 of the full video.

Also coversEcosystems & food webs
Heddy Score3/7, Below the standard
See the seven stars
  • Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
  • On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
  • Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
  • Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
  • Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
  • Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
  • Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
★ passed · ☆ pending · ✕ failed
Our students

Not enough students yet

Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.
On YouTube

4.45M views · 17.8K likes · Amoeba Sisters 2.98M subscribers

As reported by YouTube on 2026-11-03. Not part of the Heddy Score.
How the Heddy Score works

Why we picked it

It shows why energy runs out as you go up a chain, using a pyramid with numbers a student can follow.

Amoeba Sisters on YouTubechecked 2026-10-20

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