The amount of energy passed from one trophic level to the next decreases because
- many organisms are present at the first trophic level
- many organisms occur at the higher trophic level
-
more energy is conserved at lower trophic levels
- parts of the organisms remain unutilised at each trophic level
The correct answer is: C
Explanation
The energy conversion efficiency is higher at lower trophic levels even though a significant amount of energy is lost as heat, waste and other processes. Thus, more energy is conserved at lower trophic levels.