Question

According to the 10% law, if producers in an ecosystem have 10,000 units of energy, approximately how much energy is available to primary consumers?

Options

• 100 units

• 5,000 units

• 1,000 units

• 10,000 units

Answer 1

The 10% law states that only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next; the rest is lost as heat via respiration. Therefore, if producers have 10,000 units, primary consumers receive approximately 10% or 1,000 units of energy.