Which of the Following is NOT True Regarding Food Webs

Question

Which of the following is NOT true regarding food webs in ecosystems?
A) Primary producers assimilate minerals into biomass.
B) Primary producers absorb energy from outside the ecosystem.
C) Grazers convert 10% of carbon back to carbon dioxide.
D) Consumers convert 90% of biomass carbon to atmospheric CO2.
E) All energy gained by an ecosystem is eventually lost as heat.

Accepted Answer

Grazers do not convert 10% of carbon back to carbon dioxide; instead, this statement misrepresents the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels. Typically, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next, but this does not specifically relate to carbon conversion to CO2 by grazers.