Compared to the numbers of grasshoppers or deer,there are few mountain lions.The reason that large and fierce animals,such as the mountain lion,are rare in an ecosystem is that
A) such animals do not tolerate other members like them.
B) through evolution, most fierce animals have been killed off by others.
C) food chains are only 10-20% efficient at each step and top carnivores are physically limited in how far they can roam for food.
D) only a few such animals are permitted by succession in a biome and there are only a few biomes.
E) more large predators bring more disease to an ecosystem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Large predators feed at the top of the food web and as organisms feed farther and farther from the original source of energy input there is less and less energy available due to losses in the form of heat. This limits the number of top carnivores that can be maintained in an ecosystem.Bloom's

Compared to the Numbers of Grasshoppers or Deer,there Are Few