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)

Question

Responses

There will be less organic matter available.
There will be less organic matter available.

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.

Organic matter does not transfer between the plant and the mouse

Answer 1

The correct response is:

There will be less organic matter available.

In a food chain, energy and organic matter are lost at each trophic level due to processes such as metabolism, respiration, and excretion. As a result, while the mouse (as a primary consumer) consumes the plant (a primary producer), the amount of organic matter available in the mouse will generally be less than that in the plant. This pattern continues up the food chain, leading to even lower amounts of organic matter in the snake and then in the hawk.