Question
When a consumer eats a producer, 10 percent of the producer's energy is passed on to the consumer trophic level. What happens to the other 90 percent?
A. It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level
B. it is consumed and used by the consumer
C. It is added back to the soil by decomposers
D. it is used for cell processes or released as heat
A. It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level
B. it is consumed and used by the consumer
C. It is added back to the soil by decomposers
D. it is used for cell processes or released as heat
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **D. it is used for cell processes or released as heat**.
In ecological energy transfer, only a small percentage (typically around 10%) of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next level. The remaining energy (about 90%) is lost primarily through metabolic processes, such as respiration and growth, and is often released as heat. This is known as the "10% Rule" in ecology.
In ecological energy transfer, only a small percentage (typically around 10%) of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next level. The remaining energy (about 90%) is lost primarily through metabolic processes, such as respiration and growth, and is often released as heat. This is known as the "10% Rule" in ecology.