Question

Why are carnivores, such as lions, dependent on photosynthesis to survive?

a) Lions directly engage in photosynthesis
b) Lions consume herbivores that rely on photosynthesis
c) Lions produce their own food through chemosynthesis
d) Lions obtain energy from volcanic activity

Answer 1

Lions depend on photosynthesis because they eat herbivores that rely on plants, which convert sunlight into chemical energy, forming the beginning of the food chain.

Step-by-step explanation:

Carnivores, such as lions, depend on photosynthesis to survive because photosynthesis is the fundamental process by which primary producers, like plants, convert sunlight into usable chemical energy. This energy is then passed up the food chain. Herbivores eat the plants, and then carnivores in turn eat the herbivores. Although lions do not engage in photosynthesis themselves, they consume herbivores that have converted the energy from plants into their own biomass. Therefore, without the primary producers capturing the energy of the sun through photosynthesis, there would be no energy source for herbivores or the carnivores that feed on them. This illustrates the interdependence of photosynthesis and cellular respiration within ecosystems and how energy flows from the sun to producers to consumers.