Question

in most of the energy transferred and food webs is used up in digesting and cellular respiration

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

, leaving only a small amount available for growth, reproduction, and other biological processes. This is known as the 10% rule, which states that only about 10% of energy is passed on to the next trophic level in a food chain. The rest is lost as heat energy during metabolic processes or used for maintaining the organism's own body functions. This is why food chains and food webs are typically structured with a large base of primary producers supporting a smaller number of herbivores, which in turn support an even smaller number of carnivores. This is necessary in order to sustain energy flow through the ecosystem and support higher trophic levels.