When a consumer eats a producer, 10 percent of the producer’s energy is passed on to the consumer trophic level. What happens to the other 90 percent?(1 point)

Question

Responses

It is consumed and used by the consumer.
It is consumed and used by the consumer.

It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level.
It is used by the producer to pass on to the next trophic level.

It is added back to the soil by decomposers.
It is added back to the soil by decomposers.

It is used for cell processes or released as heat.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

It is used for cell processes or released as heat.

In energy transfer between trophic levels, only a small percentage of energy is transferred to the next level; the majority is utilized for metabolic processes, growth, and is ultimately lost as heat.