The progressive loss of energy at each level in a food chain leads to
Answer Details
The progressive loss of energy at each level in a food chain leads to a decrease in biomass at each successive level.
Energy is transferred from one level to another in a food chain as organisms eat each other. However, not all of the energy that an organism ingests is available for growth or reproduction. Some of the energy is lost as heat or used for metabolic processes such as respiration. As a result, only a fraction of the energy that is consumed is passed on to the next level in the food chain.
This means that as you move up the food chain, there is less and less energy available to support the growth and reproduction of organisms. This results in a decrease in the biomass, or total weight, of organisms at each successive level. For example, there may be many small plants at the base of the food chain, but only a few herbivores that feed on them, and even fewer carnivores that feed on the herbivores.
Overall, the progressive loss of energy at each level in a food chain is an important principle in ecology that helps explain the structure and dynamics of ecosystems.