Why is the energy pyramid not a smooth geometric shape like a triangle but, rather, looks like narrow blocks stacked on top of wider blocks?(1 point)

Question

Responses

A triangular pyramid would reflect a food pyramid rather than energy flow.

Energy decreases at each level, and only 10% remains from the previous level.

Lower levels have far more individuals, so the shape reflects their population size.
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The sizes of each shape show how much is consumed (or produced) at each level.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

Energy decreases at each level, and only 10% remains from the previous level.

This reflects the energy transfer inefficiency in ecosystems, where only a fraction of energy (approximately 10%) is passed on to the next trophic level, resulting in a pyramid-like shape with narrower upper levels and wider bases.