What factor is limiting the length of the food chain?

The food chain is the phenomenon of the transfer of substances and energy from one source (primary) through several organisms. The food chain itself consists of links – trophic levels. When energy is transferred from one trophic level to another, about 90% of it is consumed. This means that the longer the food chain, the lower the percentage of energy stored by the producers at the initial stage will be transferred to the next food link. Therefore, the optimal length of the food chain is 3 to 5 links.