ECOLOGY
ENERGY FLOW AND PRIMARY PRODUCTION
|
Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
|
|
|
Because as energy moves from the bottom to the top level, less and less energy is available to higher levels.
|
|
|
Because the original energy from producers is the total energy available to all the organisms in the energy pyramid.
|
|
|
because only about ten percent of the energy available at one level is transferred to the next level.
|
|
|
all of the above
|
Detailed explanation-1: -Why are there less number of organisms at the top of the ecological pyramid ? There are less number of organisms at the top of the pyramid because there is very little food left for secondary consumers compared to the primary consumers. Similarly, there are fewer consumers than producers.
Detailed explanation-2: -Why can’t the top level contain a large number of organisms? Because as energy moves from the bottom to the top level, less and less energy is available to higher levels.
Detailed explanation-3: -At the top, the apex predators tend to have much smaller populations because they only get 0.01% of the available energy from their prey.
Detailed explanation-4: -Biomass shrinks with each trophic level. That is because between 80% and 90% of an organism’s energy, or biomass, is lost as heat or waste. A predator consumes only the remaining biomass. Marine food webs are usually longer than terrestrial food webs.
Detailed explanation-5: -The first trophic level contains the greatest number of organisms and is comprised mainly of plants. The organisms in this layer are called primary producers because they get their energy from an abiotic source.