A1%
B5%
C10%
D50%
Answer:
C. 10%
Read Explanation:
Correct Answer: Option C - 10%
In ecological systems, energy flows through food chains from one trophic level to the next. According to the 10% law proposed by Raymond Lindeman, only about 10% of the energy available at one trophic level is transferred to the next higher level. This occurs because a significant portion of energy (approximately 90%) is lost at each trophic level through various processes:
Energy is used for metabolic processes (respiration)
Energy is lost as heat
Some parts of organisms are not consumed
Energy is lost in excretory waste
This 10% efficiency explains why food chains typically have only 4-5 trophic levels. As energy diminishes significantly at each step, there's not enough energy to support additional levels.
This concept is fundamental to understanding ecological pyramids, particularly the pyramid of energy, which is always upright, showing the decrease in available energy as you move up trophic levels.
The 10% rule is a key principle in ecology and explains why top predators are relatively rare compared to primary producers and primary consumers in most ecosystems.