Question

Which trophic level contains more energy: a trophic level of herbivores or a trophic level of carnivores? Why?

Answer 1

Hello :)

The answer to your question is a trophic level of carnivores


Only a fraction of the energy available at one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.

Since carnivores are above herbivores in the trophic levels, herbivores have more energy than carnivores.

Hope this helps and have a great day!

Answer 2

Trophic level of herbivores

Step-by-step explanation:

Trophic level refers to the step in a food chain of an ecosystem occupied by organisms sharing the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy. The organisms of a chain are classified into these levels on the basis of their feeding behavior.

The first and the lowest level consists of PRODUCERS (green plants) which are consumed by the second level organisms- THE HERBIVORES. At the third level, PRIMARY CARNIVORES, eat the herbivores and the fourth level, SECONDARY CARNIVORES eat the primary carnivores

An ecological/energy/trophic pyramid shows the rate at which energy or mass is transferred from one trophic level to the next. With all biological communities, energy at each trophic level is lost in form of heat (as much as 80-90%) as organisms expend energy for their metabolic activities, with only about 10% of the consumed energy being converted to biomass.

Due to the way energy is utilized and transferred between levels, the total biomass of organisms on each trophic level decreases from the bottom-up i.e. the higher the organism is on the trophic pyramid, the lower the amount of available energy.

In this case, the carnivores is higher in the trophic pyramid than herbivores, hence, will contain a lower energy than trophic level of herbivores.