Question

The greatest amount of energy is available at which of the following levels?

• A. Tertiary consumers
• B. Secondary consumers
• C. Decomposers
• D. Producers

Answer 1

The correct option is D Producers

Autotrophs are the organisms that can produce their own food using sunlight as the source of energy. Since they produce their own food they are called producers. The green plants in the ecosystem are called producers and they make the first trophic level of the food chain having the greatest amount of energy. All the organisms above the first trophic level are basically consumers and heterotrophs which directly or indirectly depend on the plants for food and energy. As the energy passes through different levels of the pyramid/food chain, a larger part of it gets used up and is lost. Only 10% of it is transferred to the succeeding trophic levels or consumers so it keeps on decreasing uphill as the pyramid level rises.