Why is each level of the energy pyramid smaller than the level directly below it?
Options:
Because 10% of the energy at each level moves to the next level and some additional energy is converted to heat
Because the sizes of each level show that 10% is consumed by organisms at that level
Because 90% of the energy is passed on to the next level to be used by the organisms there
Because about 10% of the energy is converted to hear when organisms because ill and another 10% when they die
The correct option is: Because 10% of the energy at each level moves to the next level and some additional energy is converted to heat.
The energy pyramid represents the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. As the energy flows through the food chain, only a fraction of the energy is transferred to the next level, while the rest is lost as heat or used by the organisms in the current level for their own metabolic processes. Thus, each level of the energy pyramid is smaller than the level below it because only a portion of the energy is passed on.