4. Explain the ten 'per cent' law with the help of an example.
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4. Explain the ten 'per cent' law with the help of an example.
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Explanation:
The 10% law, also known as the 10% rule, is a concept in ecology that explains the flow of energy through trophic levels in a food chain. According to this law, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
To understand this concept, let's consider an example of a simple food chain: grass → grasshopper → frog → snake → hawk.
In this food chain, the energy starts with the grass, which is the primary producer. Let's assume that the grass contains 1000 units of energy.
When a grasshopper consumes the grass, it obtains some of the energy stored in the grass. However, only about 10% of the energy consumed by the grasshopper is converted into its own biomass. So, out of the 1000 units of energy in the grass, the grasshopper will only obtain 100 units of energy.
Now, when a frog eats the grasshopper, it will only obtain about 10% of the energy from the grasshopper, which is 10 units of energy.
Similarly, when a snake preys on the frog, it will obtain only 10% of the energy from the frog, which is 1 unit of energy.
Finally, if a hawk consumes the snake, it will obtain approximately 10% of the energy from the snake, which is 0.1 units of energy.
This example demonstrates how the energy decreases as it moves up the food chain. The reason for this decrease is that energy is lost at each trophic level through various processes such as respiration, heat loss, and waste production. Only a fraction of the energy consumed by an organism is converted into biomass and made available for the next trophic level.
The 10% law helps to understand the efficiency of energy transfer in ecosystems and highlights the importance of maintaining a balance in the food chain to ensure that enough energy is available for organisms at higher trophic levels.