Food Chains are Sometimes Short Because

Question

Food chains are sometimes short because
A)only a single species of herbivore feeds on each plant species.
B)local extinction of a species causes extinction of the other species in its food chain.
C)most of the energy in a trophic level is lost as it passes to the next higher level.
D)predator species tend to be less diverse and less abundant than prey species.
E)most producers are inedible.

Accepted Answer

Most of the energy in a trophic level is lost as it passes to the next higher level, primarily due to the second law of thermodynamics. This energy loss limits the length of food chains because there is not enough energy to support many trophic levels.