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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.
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 less organic matter available.
There will be less organic matter available.
There will be more organic matter available.
1 answer
The correct response is:
There will be less organic matter available.
This is because, during the transfer of energy and matter through the food chain (from the plant to the mouse), not all the organic matter is passed on. A significant portion of the energy and matter is lost at each trophic level due to metabolism and other life processes, generally resulting in less available organic matter at higher levels of the food chain.
