Question

using the 10% rule when studying trophic pyramids, if the autotrophs produce 100 joules of energy, how much energy is passed on to the herbivores? 0.1 joule 15 joules 10 joules

Explanation:

Step1: Apply the 10% rule

The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed to the next. So we need to calculate 10% of the energy produced by autotrophs.
$$10\%=\frac{10}{100} = 0.1$$

Step2: Calculate the energy passed to herbivores

If autotrophs produce $E = 100$ Joules, then the energy passed to herbivores $E_{h}$ is $E_{h}=0.1\times E$.
$$E_{h}=0.1\times100=10$$

Answer:

10 Joules