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Much of the earth\'s land are is covered by grasslands that are too dry to culti

ID: 17096 • Letter: M

Question

Much of the earth's land are is covered by grasslands that are too dry to cultivate crops but capable of supporting grazing animals (bison, antelope, cattle, sheep, etc) on a sustainable basis. Humans are incapable of effectively digesting grass. On the dry grasslands, eating at what trophic level would you produce the most food?

Explanation / Answer

Eating at lower trophic levels contains more energy because as you move up the trophic levels, more energy is lost. For example, for each trophic level you move up (i.e. grass --> cow) you lose approximately 90% of the energy contained in the food, only get 10% of what's left. Therefore, it is best to eat at a lower trophic level, like crops if they are available. If not, then you must eat higher trophic levels, because eating grass is not an option. Hope this helps

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