Which level of organism has the least energy available to it
a) beetle c)sparrow
b)spider d) hawk
*maple tree->beetle->spider-->sparrow->hawk
explain how you know, why because its primary, secondary, decomposer etc...
hawk
hawk
To determine which level of organism has the least energy available to it, we need to understand the concept of energy flow in an ecosystem and the trophic levels.
In an ecosystem, energy flows from producers (plants) to consumers (animals). Producers convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, while consumers obtain energy by consuming other organisms. These consumers can be grouped into different trophic levels based on their position in the food chain.
Let's examine the given food chain:
Maple tree -> Beetle -> Spider -> Sparrow -> Hawk
- Maple tree is a producer, as it converts sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.
- Beetle is a primary consumer, as it consumes the maple tree to obtain energy.
- Spider is a secondary consumer, as it consumes the beetle for energy.
- Sparrow is also a secondary consumer, as it consumes the spider.
- Hawk is a tertiary consumer, as it consumes the sparrow.
Based on this food chain, the primary consumers (beetle) will have more energy available to them compared to the secondary consumers (spider) and the tertiary consumers (sparrow and hawk). This is because energy is lost at each trophic level as heat and through metabolic processes.
Therefore, in this scenario, the organism with the least energy available would be the hawk (option d), as it is at the highest trophic level and receives energy that has already been reduced through multiple transfers in the food chain.