A desert environment has a very low NPP.What does this suggest about the number of trophic levels in its food webs?
A) The only predators will be small, such as scorpions.
B) The webs will have plants and primary consumers only.
C) All food chains in the web will have at least three secondary consumers.
D) Most food chains will have few trophic levels, usually only three.
E) Most food chains will have at least four or five trophic levels.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Deserts have low Net Primary Production (NPP) due to limited water and nutrients, which restricts the amount of energy available at the base of the food web. This limitation means that energy quickly diminishes across trophic levels, resulting in food chains that are typically short, often with only three trophic levels (producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers) because there isn't enough energy to support more levels.

A Desert Environment Has a Very Low NPP