Question

A caterpillar spends its morning eating grass. In the afternoon, a robin eats the caterpillar. Approximately what percentage of the energy in the grass was transferred to the robin.

A. 90%
B. 10%
C. 0.1%
D. 1%

Answer 1

The correct answer is the option (D) 1%.

The energy transfer in the food chain grass → caterpillar → Robin can be explained with the help of the ten percent law. It clearly explains the amount of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next and was proposed by Lindeman in the year 1942.

According to the law, the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the other is only about ten percent. The rest is lost as heat. The amount of energy gained by the producers is usually considered as 100%. The producer in the above food chain is grass which is assumed to have 100% of energy stored as the chemical energy. The caterpillar gets about ten percent of the energy from the grass. The Robin gets about one percent of energy from the previous trophic level containing the caterpillar.