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?(1 point)

Question

Responses

It is added back to the soil by decomposers.
It is added back to the soil by decomposers.

It is consumed and used by the consumer.
It is consumed and used by the consumer.

It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level.
It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level.

It is used for cell processes or released as heat.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

It is used for cell processes or released as heat.

When a consumer eats a producer, the majority of the energy (approximately 90%) is lost in the form of heat and used for the consumer's metabolic processes, rather than being transferred to the next trophic level.