Consider the food chain of grass → grasshopper → mouse → snake → hawk. About how much of the chemical energy fixed by photosynthesis of the grass (100 percent) is available to the hawk?
A) 0.01%
B) 0.1%
C) 1%
D) 10%

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The transfer of energy between trophic levels in a food chain is not very efficient, with much energy lost to waste heat, respiration, and other metabolic processes. As a result, only about 10% of the energy in one trophic level is typically available to the next level. This is known as the 10% rule. Hence, the energy available to the snake from the mouse would be 0.1%, energy available to the mouse from the grasshopper would be 1%, and energy available to the grasshopper from the grass would be 10%. Therefore, the energy available to the hawk from the grass is only about 0.01%.

Consider the Food Chain of Grass → Grasshopper → Mouse