Question

In the food chain Grass → Insects → Thrush → Sparrow Hawk, where is most of the energy lost during the transfer from one trophic level to the next?

Options

• In the growth of plant tissues

• In the formation of decomposers

• As heat through respiration

• In photosynthetic processes

Answer 1

According to the 10% law, approximately 90% of energy is lost as heat through respiration at each trophic transfer. Only about 10% is incorporated into the biomass of the consuming organism, making respiration the primary mechanism of energy loss in food chains.