In a food chain, energy is passed from one link to the other. When a herbivore eats, only a fraction of the energy that it gets from its food becomes new body mass; the rest of the energy is lost as waste or used to carry out its life processes, such as movements, digestion and reproduction.
When a herbivore is eaten by a carnivore, it passes only a small amount of its total energy to the carnivore. Of the energy transferred from the herbivore to the carnivore, some energy will be "wasted" or "used up" by the carnivore. The carnivore then has to eat many other herbivores to get enough energy to grow.
Because of the large amount of energy that is lost in each link, the amount of energy that is transferred through the links get less.
The further along the food chain you go, the less food there is, and hence, less energy remains available. In other words, a large mass of living things at the base is required to support a smaller number of consumers at the top of the link. Hence, many herbivores are needed to support a few carnivore.
When a herbivore is eaten by a carnivore, it passes only a small amount of its total energy to the carnivore. Of the energy transferred from the herbivore to the carnivore, some energy will be "wasted" or "used up" by the carnivore. The carnivore then has to eat many other herbivores to get enough energy to grow.
Because of the large amount of energy that is lost in each link, the amount of energy that is transferred through the links get less.
The further along the food chain you go, the less food there is, and hence, less energy remains available. In other words, a large mass of living things at the base is required to support a smaller number of consumers at the top of the link. Hence, many herbivores are needed to support a few carnivore.
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