Question

In the food chains given below. Select the most efficient food chain in terms of energy:

Options

• Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake

• Plants → Deer → Lion

• Plants → Man

• Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Small Fish → Big Fish

Answer 1

Plants → Man

Explanation:

The most energy-efficient food chain is the one with fewer trophic levels, as energy decreases at each successive level according to the 10% law of energy transfer. Since the food chain Plants → Man is a direct chain consisting of only two trophic levels, namely producer and consumer, it allows maximum transfer of energy and is therefore the most efficient.