A beetle that feeds on the leaves of sunflowers is eaten by a spider. Possums will eat both beetles and spiders. If the sunflowers represent 2400 calories, how many calories would be lost as heat as you move from the first to the second trophic level?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a typical food chain, about 90% of the energy is lost as heat when moving from one trophic level to the next, leaving only about 10% of the energy to be passed on. Therefore, if the sunflowers represent 2400 calories, 90% of those calories would be lost as heat when moving to the next trophic level (the beetles), which calculates to 2160 calories (2400 * 0.9 = 2160).

A Beetle That Feeds on the Leaves of Sunflowers Is