AP BIOLOGY

ECOLOGY

ENERGY FLOW AND PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
How much energy is available to be passed on to the next trophic level in an ecosystem?
A
100%
B
10%
C
50%
D
75%
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -On average, only about 10% of the energy stored as biomass in one trophic level-e.g., primary producers-gets stored as biomass in the next trophic level-e.g., primary consumers.

Detailed explanation-2: -The 10% Rule means that when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on. An energy pyramid shows the feeding levels of organisms in an ecosystem and gives a visual representation of energy loss at each level.

Detailed explanation-3: -Energy decreases as it moves up trophic levels because energy is lost as metabolic heat when the organisms from one trophic level are consumed by organisms from the next level. Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) measures the amount of energy that is transferred between trophic levels.

Detailed explanation-4: -Energy is passed up a food chain or web from lower to higher trophic levels. However, generally only about 10 percent of the energy at one level is available to the next level. This is represented by the ecological pyramid in Figure below.

Detailed explanation-5: -Solution : The ‘10%‘ of energy available for transfer from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem is in the form of chemical energy.

There is 1 question to complete.