Why is each level of energy pyramid, smaller than the level directly below it

Question

Because about 10% of the energy energy is converted to heat when organism become ill and another 10% when they die
90% of the energy has passed the next level to the organisms there
Because of the level moves to the level and some additional energy converted to heat
Because the size of each level 10% is consumed by organisms at that level

Answer 1

The reason each level of an energy pyramid is smaller than the level directly below it relates to the concept of energy transfer in ecosystems. The correct explanation is:

About 90% of the energy at each trophic level is lost when transferred up to the next level, primarily due to metabolic processes and heat loss. Therefore, only about 10% of the energy is passed on to the next level.

Here's a brief breakdown of the processes involved:

1. Energy Loss: When organisms consume food, some of the energy is used for metabolic processes (like movement, growth, reproduction, etc.), while a significant amount is lost as heat.

2. Efficiency of Energy Transfer: Generally, it's estimated that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is converted into biomass that can be used by the next level. This is known as the 10% rule in ecology.

3. Trophic Levels: As you move up the energy pyramid from producers (like plants) to primary consumers (herbivores) and then to secondary and tertiary consumers (carnivores), the amount of available energy decreases because of these losses.

This results in a pyramid shape for energy distribution, with a broad base of primary producers and progressively smaller levels of consumers above them.

Answer 2

Pick one of the four answers

Answer 3

The best choice from the options you provided is:

"Because about 90% of the energy has passed to the next level to the organisms there."

This captures the essence of why each level is smaller, indicating the significant energy loss as it moves up the pyramid.