Out of the total energy received by herbivorous from producers, how much is passed to carnivorous?

Options

A. 0.05
B. 0.1
C. 0.25
D. 0.5

Answer

To solve the question of how much energy is passed from herbivores to carnivores, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
In an ecosystem, energy flows through different trophic levels. The first level consists of producers (plants), the second level consists of primary consumers (herbivores), and the third level consists of secondary consumers (carnivores).

**Hint:** Remember that energy transfer occurs through trophic levels in a food chain.

### Step 2: Identify the Energy Transfer Efficiency
It is a well-established ecological principle that only about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level. This is known as the "10% Rule."

**Hint:** Focus on the concept that energy is lost at each trophic level due to metabolic processes.

### Step 3: Calculate the Energy Passed from Herbivores to Carnivores
If herbivores receive energy from producers, only 10% of the energy that herbivores obtain from producers is passed on to carnivores.

For example, if herbivores receive 100 units of energy from producers, they will pass on 10 units of energy to carnivores.

**Hint:** Use the 10% rule to calculate how much energy is transferred from one level to the next.

### Step 4: Express the Energy Transfer in Decimal Form
To express the 10% energy transfer in decimal form, we convert 10% to a fraction:
\[ \frac{10}{100} = 0.1 \]

**Hint:** Converting percentages to decimals is straightforward; just divide by 100.

### Step 5: Choose the Correct Option
From the options given (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5), the correct answer is 0.1, which represents the fraction of energy passed from herbivores to carnivores.

**Hint:** Compare your calculated result with the provided options to select the correct answer.

### Final Answer
The amount of energy passed from herbivores to carnivores is **0.1**.