In an ecosystem, producers absorb 15,000 joules of energy from the sun. Then what amount of energy is captured by secondary consumers? A. 150 joule
B. 15,000 joule
C. 15 joule
D. 1,500 joule
In an ecosystem, producers absorb 15,000 joules of energy from the sun. Then what amount of energy is captured by secondary consumers?
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The correct answer is D. 1,500 joules.
In an ecosystem, energy transfer typically follows the 10% rule, where only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next.
1. Producers absorb 15,000 joules from the sun.
2. Primary consumers (herbivores) would capture about 10% of that energy: 15,000 joules × 0.10 = 1,500 joules.
3. Therefore, the energy captured by secondary consumers (carnivores that eat primary consumers) is about 10% of the energy that the primary consumers received, which is where the calculation stops.
So, secondary consumers would have access to 1,500 joules of energy.
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