Plants capture about 1% of sunlight

The idea

Green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture about 1% of the energy of sunlight falling on their leaves and convert it into food energy.

Sunlight on a leaf

Sunlight falls on the leaves of green plants during the day.

About how much of the energy of sunlight falling on their leaves do green plants capture as food energy?

• About 1%
• About half of it
• About 90%

A share of 100

Pick an example amount of sunlight. The amounts are examples, not measured values.

About one part in 100

Out of 100 equal parts of sunlight falling on the leaves, about 1 part is captured and changed into food energy. This is the share in a terrestrial ecosystem, an ecosystem on land.

Green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture about 1% of the energy of sunlight falling on their leaves and convert it into food energy.

Notes

Green plants capture about 1% of the sunlight on their leaves as food energy.

Check yourself

About how much of the energy of sunlight falling on their leaves do green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture?

Suppose 3000 J of sunlight falls on the leaves of green plants (an example). About how much is converted into food energy, in J?

Answer: 30 J

1% of 3000 J is 3000 ÷ 100 = 30 J.

Into what do green plants convert the energy they capture from sunlight?

• About 10%. Ten percent is the average share of food energy that passes from one trophic level to the next, not the share of sunlight plants capture.
• About 1% — correct. Yes!
• About 50%. Plants capture about 1% of the sunlight that falls on their leaves, which is far less than half.
• More sunlight. Plants do not make sunlight. They convert the captured energy into food energy.
• Ultraviolet radiation. Plants convert the captured energy into food energy, not radiation.
• Food energy — correct. Yes!