Which of the following best explains why energy transfer in a food web is described as a pyramid?(1 point)

Question

Responses

Energy is lost at each trophic level, with less energy available to organisms higher up in the pyramid.
Energy is lost at each trophic level, with less energy available to organisms higher up in the pyramid.

There are more producers than consumers in an ecosystem.
There are more producers than consumers in an ecosystem.

Tertiary consumers receive the most energy in an ecosystem.
Tertiary consumers receive the most energy in an ecosystem.

The shape of the pyramid represents the physical structure of ecosystems.

Answer 1

The best explanation for why energy transfer in a food web is described as a pyramid is:

Energy is lost at each trophic level, with less energy available to organisms higher up in the pyramid.

This reflects the concept that as energy moves up the food chain from producers (at the base) to primary consumers, secondary consumers, and finally to tertiary consumers (at the top), a significant amount of energy is lost at each level, primarily through metabolic processes as heat. Thus, there is less energy available for organisms at higher trophic levels.