QUESTION IMAGE
Question
which of the following trophic levels contains the least amount of biomass?
tertiary consumer
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
In an ecosystem, energy and biomass decrease as we move up the trophic levels. Producers (like plants) have the most biomass as they convert sunlight into energy. Primary consumers (herbivores) eat producers, but only a fraction (about 10%) of the producer biomass is transferred to them. Secondary consumers (carnivores that eat herbivores) get even less biomass from primary consumers (again, about 10% transfer). Tertiary consumers (carnivores that eat secondary consumers) are at the top of this energy - biomass pyramid. Since each transfer is inefficient (only about 10% of biomass/energy moves up to the next level), the trophic level with the least biomass is the one highest up, which is the tertiary consumer.
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Tertiary Consumer