Final answer:
The energy and biomass decrease from lower to higher trophic levels, so there are rarely more than four trophic levels in a food chain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The energy and biomass decrease from lower to higher trophic levels, so there are rarely more than four trophic levels in a food chain. This is because only about 10 percent of the energy at one trophic level is actually passed up to the next higher trophic level, with the rest being used by organisms at that level for metabolism, growth, and repair. As a result, there is generally inadequate energy remaining above four trophic levels to support organisms at additional trophic levels.