Question

The ecological efficiency at each trophic level of a particular ecosystem is 20%. If the green plants of the ecosystem capture 100 units of energy, about ____ units of energy will be available to support herbivores and about ____ units of energy will be available to support carnivores

Answer 1

Answer:

1. 20 units

2. 4 units

Explanation:

In an ecosystem, energy is transferred from one organism occupying a trophic level to another as they feed on one another. The amount of energy that is being transferred as the chain progresses is called ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY. According to this question, the ecological efficiency at each trophic level of the ecosystem is 20%. This means that about 20% of energy units will be transferred to the next trophic level.

If the green plants of the ecosystem capture 100 units of energy, the amount of energy that will be available to support herbivores (plant eaters) is: 20% × 100units i.e. 20/100 × 100 = 20 units.

Also, the amount of energy that will be available to support carnivores subsequently will be 20% of 20 units i.e. 20/100 × 20 = 4 units.