Concept explainers
The energy flow through an ecosystem.
Answer to Problem 1CQ
Energy flows through one trophic level to the next. At each level, approximately 90 percent of the energy is lost. The producers have the largest amount of energy, and as we move up in the food chain, the energy keeps decreasing.
Explanation of Solution
The ecosystem is arranged in different trophic levels depending on the type of food they eat. Producers form the first trophic level because they produce their own food. Primary consumers or herbivores consume these producers to obtain energy. They form the second trophic level. Carnivores form the next trophic level by eating these herbivores in order to obtain food and energy.
The energy flows from one trophic level to the other. About 90 percent of the available energy at a trophic level is lost when transferred to the other trophic level. The producers are the first trophic level. Therefore, they have the maximum energy and the organisms present at the top of the food chain receive the least amount of energy.
Hence, energy flows from producers to primary consumers and from primary consumers to carnivores with a 90 percent loss at each level.
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