Question

Give reasons why:

1. The forest ecosystem is more stable than the cropland ecosystem.
2. Available energy goes on decreasing at each trophic level in a food chain.

Answer 1

Explanation :

1. Cropland ecosystems are man-made ecosystems. An ecosystem is the fundamental building element of an environment, consisting of both biotic and abiotic components, as well as their ongoing interactions.
2. It has a significant crop grown in a specific area. It demonstrates that there will be the least diversity in that particular area.
3. Forests have both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components, such as soil, water, air, and landforms, in addition to living (biotic) components such as trees, animals, plants, and other live creatures and has a wide variety of plantation.

The forest ecosystem is more stable than the cropland ecosystem because:

1. Greater the number of variations available at each trophic level, the more stable the ecosystem is.
2. In a forest ecosystem, each trophic level is occupied by diverse organisms.
3. They help to balance the trophic system. If each level is disturbed, the other trophic levels will be able to balance the entire food chain.
4. In a cropland ecosystem, there is less diversification. If each trophic level is disturbed, the food chain will become disturbed and the ecosystem will become unstable.
5. Hence, the forest ecosystem is more stable than the cropland ecosystem.

Available energy goes on decreasing at each trophic level in a food chain:

1. According to the second law of thermodynamics, during the transfer of energy, the majority of the energy is lost as unavailable heat.
2. Energy decreases as we move up the trophic levels.
3. The energy is lost as metabolic heat when the lower organisms are consumed by higher organisms.
4. 10% energy of each trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level in a food chain.