As you go up the energy pyramid __% of the energy is loss at each level and only __% remainds. In what form is this energy lost as? ___
First blank 10%
That's all I know
To answer the question, we need to understand the concept of an energy pyramid. An energy pyramid illustrates the flow of energy through a food chain, demonstrating how energy is transferred from one trophic level to another.
In an energy pyramid, the lower trophic levels consist of producers, such as plants, that convert sunlight into usable energy through photosynthesis. As you move up the pyramid, energy is transferred to consumers, which include primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores that eat herbivores), and so on.
Now, let's discuss the first blank. As you mentioned, approximately 10% of the energy is lost at each level as you move up the energy pyramid. This is known as the 10% rule or the 10% law of energy transfer. It states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
Consequently, in the second blank, only approximately 10% of the energy remains. So, if we started with 100 units of energy at the producer level, roughly 10 units of energy would be available to the primary consumers. As we move up to secondary consumers, only about 1 unit of energy would remain. This trend continues until the highest trophic level.
As for the third blank, the energy that is lost at each level is primarily in the form of heat. This energy loss occurs as a result of various biological processes, such as metabolism, respiration, and activity. Since organisms use energy for their own biological functions, not all of the ingested energy can be passed on to the next trophic level. Consequently, the lost energy is dissipated into the environment as heat.
In summary, as you ascend the energy pyramid, approximately 10% of the energy is lost at each level, with only about 10% remaining. This lost energy is primarily in the form of heat.