In a food chain, snakes consume mice, which in turn feed on grasshoppers. The grasshoppers consume grass. How great a biomass of mice could 10,000 kg of grass likely support?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a typical food chain, about 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. Starting with 10,000 kg of grass, the grasshoppers would represent about 1,000 kg of biomass (10% of 10,000 kg). The mice, feeding on the grasshoppers, would then represent about 10% of the grasshoppers' biomass, which is 100 kg.

In a Food Chain, Snakes Consume Mice, Which in Turn