Final answer:
The rabbit would generally obtain more energy from eating the plant than the coyote would from eating the rabbit because only about 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels in a food chain, and energy decreases with each successive level.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a rabbit eats a plant, and a coyote eats the rabbit, the rabbit would generally obtain more energy from the consumed food than the coyote. This is because energy transfer between trophic levels is typically around 10%. When the rabbit eats the plant, it assimilates some of this energy to build body tissue, but a large amount is lost due to metabolic processes and as heat. Consequently, when the coyote eats the rabbit, it can only obtain about 10% of the energy the rabbit stored from the plant. This is an illustration of an energy pyramid, where the energy diminishes as it moves up the food chain. In reality, only about 1% of the original energy from the plant is stored in the coyote's body.
Further understanding of this concept can be gained by considering food chains and food webs. A food chain represents a single pathway of energy flow in an ecosystem, and a food web is more complex, illustrating multiple pathways. Both models help to show that energy is passed on from producers like plants to primary consumers like rabbits, and then to secondary consumers like coyotes, but with a diminishing return of energy at each step.