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.
Organic matter does not transfer between the plant and the mouse.
Organic matter does not transfer between the plant and the mouse.
There will be more organic matter available.

Answer 1

The correct response is: There will be less organic matter available.

In a food chain, energy and organic matter transfer between levels is inefficient due to energy loss (mainly as heat) at each trophic level. Typically, only about 10% of the energy (and thus organic matter) is transferred from one trophic level to the next. Therefore, the mouse, which is a primary consumer, would have less organic matter available compared to the plant, which is a primary producer.