Why are there usually far fewer top carnivores than producers in a food chain?
Question 1 Report
Why are there usually far fewer top carnivores than producers in a food chain?
Answer Details
About ninety per cent of the energy is lost at each transfer between trophic levels, mostly through respiration, faeces and excretion, so very little of the original energy reaches the top of the chain. Because only a small amount of energy is left, it can support only a small number of top carnivores, far fewer than the producers that captured the energy at the start. Their larger body size or being hunted are not the reason; the limiting factor is the energy remaining after repeated losses.
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
Personalized AI Learning Chat Assistant
200,000+ Exam Questions Across IGCSE, JAMB, WAEC & NECO
Over 3,900 Lesson Notes
Offline Support - Learn Anytime, Anywhere
Green Bridge Timetable
Literature Summaries & Potential Questions
Track Your Performance & Progress
In-depth Explanations for Comprehensive Learning