Question

Food webs are limited to 5-6 levels because...

A.More levels would lead to a level of complexity that could not be sustained in a natural ecosystem
B.Energy is lost with each trophic level, and at some point there isn't enough energy to sustain one more trophic level
C.Higher trophic levels require more energy for their metabolism because they are larger
D.If there are too many levels in the food web, it is possible for the animals lower on the chain to be consumed completely
E.Because there is only a possibility of 5 levels: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumer and higher level consumer

Answer 1

Food webs are typically limited to 5-6 levels because energy loss at each trophic level significantly reduces the energy available for higher levels, making it unsustainable for further trophic levels.

Step-by-step explanation:

Food webs are limited to 5-6 levels because energy is lost with each trophic level, and at some point, there isn't enough energy to sustain one more trophic level. This loss of energy occurs due to metabolic processes, including growth and repair, and heat loss to the environment, which follows the second law of thermodynamics.

Given that only about 10 percent of the energy is passed up to the next level, there is generally inadequate energy remaining above four trophic levels to support organisms at additional levels.