Question #d5434
1 Answer
Sep 11, 2016
Generally only 10% of the energy is passed on the next energy level the rest is lost to entropy and sustaining life functions of the lower tropic level.
Explanation:
An organism needs energy to carry on life functions. So as a rabbit runs, respirates, digests food, and reproduces it is using energy. That energy is not available to be passed on the next tropic level.
Entropy means that disorder always increases in any closed system.
This means that the amount of useable energy in any ecosystem always decreases as the energy is passed upwards from one tropic level to another.
