Asked by Bobby Littleton on Sep 23, 2024
Verified
The ecological efficiency at each trophic level of a particular ecosystem is 10%.If the green plants of the ecosystem capture 1000 units of energy,which pair of numbers approximates the units of energy that will be available to support herbivores and the units of energy that will be available to support carnivores?
A) 100; 10
B) 1 000; 100
C) 10; 1
D) 100; 100
Ecological Efficiency
A measure of the energy transfer between different trophic levels in an ecosystem, typically representing how much energy from a lower level is available for use at the next level.
Trophic Level
The position that an organism occupies in a food chain, which is a measure of its feeding level.
- Learn about the mechanics of food chains, the classification of trophic levels, and how energy is exchanged within an ecosystem.
- Understand the concept of ecological efficiency and its calculation.
Verified Answer
LD
Lawrence Davis1 day ago
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
Since the ecological efficiency is 10%, only 100 units of energy will be available to support herbivores (10% of 1000) and only 10 units of energy will be available to support carnivores (10% of 100). Therefore, the pair of numbers that approximates this is 100 for herbivores and 10 for carnivores, which is option C. The other options either overestimate or underestimate the available energy based on the given ecological efficiency.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about the mechanics of food chains, the classification of trophic levels, and how energy is exchanged within an ecosystem.
- Understand the concept of ecological efficiency and its calculation.