Question

An ecosystem supported by chemosynthetic organisms has 15,000 kilojoules available at the producer level, what amount of energy reaches the tertiary consumer?

A) 15,000 kilojoules
B) Depends on the ecosystem
C) Varies by location
D) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The amount of energy that reaches the tertiary consumer in an ecosystem depends on the trophic level transfer efficiency. Only about 10 percent of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

Step-by-step explanation:

The amount of energy that reaches the tertiary consumer in an ecosystem supported by chemosynthetic organisms depends on the trophic level transfer efficiency. Trophic level transfer efficiency is the amount of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next. In general, there is a significant loss of energy between trophic levels, with only about 10 percent of the energy passing on to the next higher trophic level. Therefore, it is likely that the amount of energy reaching the tertiary consumer would be much lower than the initial 15,000 kilojoules available at the producer level.