Question

The energy pyramid describes the transfer of energy between organisms in a marine ecosystem. The phytoplankton at the bottom of the pyramid take in and store a certain amount of the Sun's energy. Does all of the energy stored by the phytoplankton reach the top level of the pyramid?

A.Yes, because the amount of energy in an ecosystem is constant since energy cannot be created or destroyed.
B.No, because some of the energy is lost to the environment as heat as it is transferred between organisms.
C.Yes, because plants transfer all of their energy to herbivores, who transfer all of their energy to carnivores.
D.No, because very few of the organisms in the energy pyramid eat the phytoplankton and receive their energy.

Answer 1

The correct option to this question is 'B. No, because some of the energy is lost to the environment as heat as it is transferred between organisms.' Only about 10 percent of the energy is transferred between levels within the energy pyramid.

Step-by-step explanation:

The energy stored by phytoplankton at the bottom of the energy pyramid does not reach the top level of the pyramid in its entirety.No, not all of the energy stored by phytoplankton reaches the top level of the pyramid because of the energy lost at each trophic level, primarily as heat to the environment.

This happens because every time energy is transferred from one organism to another, there is a loss of energy. This phenomenon is known as the 10 percent rule, indicating that only about 10 percent of the energy at one trophic level is passed up to the next trophic level, with the rest being used for metabolism, growth, and repair, or being lost to the environment as heat.

Ecosystems require energy to support life, and in marine ecosystems, this begins with phytoplankton which convert sunlight into usable energy through photosynthesis. However, as energy flows through the ecosystem from producers to consumers, it diminishes with each successive trophic level within the energy pyramid, resulting in a lesser amount available to organisms at higher trophic levels.

Consequently, the energy pyramids of ecosystems are typically limited to four or five trophic levels due to the significant energy loss at each stage of transfer.