Question

Which is not true about a complex food web?

• A. Populations tend to remain about the same size
• B. Energy levels remain about the same for all trophic levels
• C. Inputs are constant and outputs are minimal except for heat
• D. Most of the energy entering the system maintains the whole community

Answer 1

The correct option is B Energy levels remain about the same for all trophic levels

The amount of energy at each trophic level decreases as it moves through an ecosystem. As little as 10% of the energy at any trophic level is transferred to the next level; the rest is lost largely through metabolic processes as heat. Food webs illustrate how energy flows through ecosystems, including how efficiently organisms acquire and use it. Autotrophs, producers in food webs, can be photosynthetic or chemosynthetic. They use light energy to synthesize their own food, while chemoautotrophs use inorganic molecules. Heterotrophs cannot synthesize their own energy, but must obtain it from autotrophs in food webs.

So the correct option is 'energy levels remain about the same for all trophic levels.'