Hard
In the food chain Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Eagle, the producers (grass) contain 10,000 J of energy. Following the 10% law, how much energy is available to the snake?
Explanation
Explanation
Step 1: The 10% law says only about 10% of the energy of one trophic level passes to the next level.
Step 2: Grass (producer) = 10,000 J.
Step 3: Grasshopper (1st consumer) = 10% of 10,000 = 1,000 J.
Step 4: Frog (2nd consumer) = 10% of 1,000 = 100 J.
Step 5: Snake (3rd consumer) = 10% of 100 = 10 J. The eagle would get 1 J.
Answer: 10 J.
PRO TIP
Re-check your working by substituting the answer back into the original question.