Question

Because there is a loss of energy at each trophic level ....... biomass can be supported at each successive level.

Answer 1

Characteristics of energy flow:

1. A constant unidirectional flow or transfer of energy from sunlight through plants and plant eating animals to flesh eating animals in the form of food.

2. A decrease in useful energy at each successive level of nutrition due to loss of some energy as heat at each transformation of energy.

3. Return of entire solar energy that entered the living systems back to the non-living systems world as heat but not as light.

According to second law of thermodynamics, there is gradual decrease in energy at successive trophic levels, so less biomass can be supported at each successive level.