If the flow of energy in an arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain, perhaps involving humans, starting from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar bears, then which of the following could be accurate?
A) Polar bears can provide more food for humans than seals can.
B) The total biomass of the fish is lower than that of the seals.
C) Seal populations are larger than fish populations.
D) Fish can potentially provide more food for humans than seal meat.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since humans are at the end of the food chain, the biomass and energy available to them depends on the amount of biomass and energy available at each trophic level. In general, each trophic level only absorbs about 10% of the biomass and energy available in the level below it. Therefore, the biomass of fish is expected to be higher than that of seals, and fish can provide more food for humans than seal meat. The other options cannot be inferred from the given information.

If the Flow of Energy in an Arctic Ecosystem Goes