Question
Cycling of Matter and Energy Flow Quick Check 2 of 52 of 5 Items Question Suppose a plant is eaten by a mouse, the mouse is consumed by a snake, and the snake is in turn consumed by a hawk. What could be assumed about the level of available organic matter in the mouse versus the plant?(1 point) Responses They both have the same amount of organic matter. They both have the same amount of organic matter. There will be more organic matter available. There will be more organic matter available. There will be less organic matter available. There will be less organic matter available. Organic matter does not transfer between the plant and the mouse. Organic matter does not transfer between the plant and the mouse. Skip to navigation page 11 of 11
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In the scenario you provided, the most accurate response would be: **There will be less organic matter available.**
This is because of the energy pyramid and the concept of energy transfer in ecosystems. As energy and organic matter move up the food chain—from plants to herbivores (like the mouse) to carnivores (like the snake and hawk)—some energy is lost at each trophic level, typically as heat through metabolic processes. Consequently, the total available organic matter decreases at each successive level in the food chain.
This is because of the energy pyramid and the concept of energy transfer in ecosystems. As energy and organic matter move up the food chain—from plants to herbivores (like the mouse) to carnivores (like the snake and hawk)—some energy is lost at each trophic level, typically as heat through metabolic processes. Consequently, the total available organic matter decreases at each successive level in the food chain.