How much of the net primary productivity of a terrestrial ecosystem is eaten and digested by herbivores?

Options

A. 0.01
B. 0.1
C. 0.4
D. 0.9

Answer

To solve the question of how much of the net primary productivity (NPP) of a terrestrial ecosystem is eaten and digested by herbivores, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand Key Terms**:
- **Net Primary Productivity (NPP)**: This is the amount of organic matter (energy) produced by plants after accounting for the energy they use for respiration. It can be calculated as:
\[ \text{NPP} = \text{Gross Primary Production (GPP)} - \text{Respiratory Losses} \]

2. **Identify the Role of Herbivores**:
- Herbivores are animals that consume plants. They play a crucial role in the energy transfer within an ecosystem by consuming the NPP.

3. **Apply the 10% Law**:
- According to the 10% law of energy transfer in ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next. In this case, it means that approximately 10% of the NPP is eaten and digested by herbivores.

4. **Calculate the Proportion**:
- To express this percentage in decimal form, we convert 10%:
\[ 10\% = \frac{10}{100} = 0.1 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the amount of net primary productivity of a terrestrial ecosystem that is eaten and digested by herbivores is 0.1 (or 10%).

### Final Answer:
The net primary productivity of a terrestrial ecosystem that is eaten and digested by herbivores is **0.1**.

---