What eventually happens to the energy that is passed from one trophic level to the next in a food chain?
A) It recycles back to the producers.
B) It results in a much larger decomposer population.
C) It is dissipated into the atmosphere in the form of heat.
D) It is recaptured by another food chain.
E) It is eventually sealed in fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Energy passed from one trophic level to the next is not 100% efficient and is lost as heat through metabolic processes such as respiration. As a result, the energy is dissipated into the atmosphere in the form of heat rather than being recycled back to the producers or recaptured by another food chain. While some energy may be stored in fossil fuels over millions of years, this is not directly related to the energy transfer in a food chain.

What Eventually Happens to the Energy That Is Passed from One