Why is each level of the energy pyramid smaller than the level directly below it?(1 point)
Because the sizes of each level show that 10% is consumed by organisms at that level.
Because the sizes of each level show that 10% is consumed by organisms at that level.
Because about 10% of the energy is converted to heat when organisms become ill and another 10% when they die.
Because about 10% of the energy is converted to heat when organisms become ill and another 10% when they die.
Because 90% of the energy is passed on to the next level to be used by the organisms there.
Because 90% of the energy is passed on to the next level to be used by the organisms there.
Because 10% of the energy at each level moves to the next level and some additional energy is converted to heat
when organisms consume and digest food.
Choose one of the answers I gave you
Sure, I apologize for the confusion. The correct answer is: "Because 90% of the energy is passed on to the next level to be used by the organisms there."
Because 10% of the energy at each level moves to the next level and some additional energy is converted to heat.
The reason each level of the energy pyramid is smaller than the level below it is due to the transfer of energy between trophic levels in an ecosystem. As organisms consume food, only a fraction of the energy they obtain is converted into biomass and stored as potential energy. The rest is used for metabolic processes like movement, growth, and reproduction, and is ultimately converted into heat energy.
When an organism consumes food, it assimilates only a portion of the energy contained in that food. This assimilated energy is then available to be passed on to the next trophic level when that organism is consumed by a predator. However, not all of the assimilated energy is actually transferred. Some energy is lost as heat during various physiological and biochemical processes within the organism.
The general rule is that approximately 10% of the energy at each trophic level is transferred to the next level. This means that only a fraction of the energy available at each trophic level ultimately reaches the level above it. As a result, the energy available decreases as you move up the energy pyramid, leading to the progressively smaller sizes of each level. Additionally, some additional energy is lost as heat with each transfer, further contributing to the reduction in available energy.
In summary, the sizes of each level in the energy pyramid represent the diminishing energy available at each trophic level, primarily due to the transfer of only 10% of the energy to the next level and the conversion of some remaining energy to heat.