Is energy conversion efficiency the same in all trophic levels and why is energy transfer from herbivores to carnivores more efficient than from producers to herbivores?
Energy conversion efficiency is same for all trophic levels. Carnivorous have better energy efficiency than herbivores. Producers have the lowest energy conversion efficiency. Since the source of energy is the sun, the trophic level representing producers (plants) contains the most energy. The base of the trophic pyramid is the source of energy for all consumers. The amount of energy decreases at each tropic level as you go up the pyramid. Energy transfer between trophic levels is not very efficient. Only about 10% of the net productivity of one level ends up as net productivity at the next level. Ecological pyramids are visual representations of energy flow, biomass accumulation, and number of individuals at different trophic levels. In general, the higher the trophic level (increasingly apex predators), the lower the biomass. Therefore, the lowest trophic level has the greatest biomass, and those are the producers. These include things like grass, trees, and flowers. Energy conversion efficiency is same for all trophic levels. Carnivorous have a better energy efficiency than herbivores. Producers have the lowest energy conversion efficiency. Herbivores have better energy conversion efficiency than carnivores.The average efficiency of energy transfer from herbivores to carnivores is 10%.Because energy is lost in the transfer from one level to the next, there is successively less total energy as you move up trophic levels. The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy required by all living organisms. This energy is transmitted to different trophic levels along the food chain. When food energy is moved from farmers to herbivores to carnivores, only 10 percentages of the energy is transferred from one trophic stage to another trophic level. The right answer, therefore, is 'Herbivores have higher energy transfer performance than carnivores. The reason for this is that only around 10 per cent of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level. The rest of the energy passes out of the food chain in a number of ways: it is released as heat energy during respiration. it is used for life processes. An herbivorous diet is more energy efficient than a carnivorous diet because plant material contains more easily accessible energy in the form of carbohydrates and less indigestible matter such as bones, fur, and other connective tissues. When food energy is moved from farmers to herbivores to carnivores, only 10 percentages of the energy is transferred from one trophic stage to another trophic level. The right answer, therefore, is 'Herbivores have higher energy transfer performance than carnivores.
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