Final answer:
As you move up the energy pyramid, the amount of energy decreases or A. Energy is being lost.
Step-by-step explanation:
Energy is passed along a food chain from lower to higher trophic levels. However, only about 10% of the energy at one level is available to the next level. The rest of the energy is used for metabolic processes or given off as heat to the environment. This explains why there are rarely more than four trophic levels in a food chain or web. A pyramid of energy shows the loss of energy at each step, with more energy at the base and less as you move up.
For example, let's consider a simple food chain: grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> snake. The grass contains a certain amount of energy, and when the grasshopper eats the grass, it obtains only 10% of that energy. When the frog eats the grasshopper, it obtains only 10% of the energy the grasshopper had. Finally, when the snake eats the frog, it obtains only 10% of the energy the frog had.
So, as you move up the food chain, the amount of energy available decreases. The correct answer is A. Energy is being lost.