Assertion (A): Energy available at each trophic level gets diminished ...
- The Assertion is true.
It is a fundamental concept in ecology that energy diminishes at each trophic level in a food chain. This is due to the loss of energy during metabolism, heat loss, and other inefficiencies in energy transfer.
- The Reason is also true.
Food chains are limited in length due to the significant energy loss that occurs at each trophic level. This limitation is a result of the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.
- However, the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion.
While both statements are true, the fact that energy diminishes at each trophic level does not directly explain why food chains generally consist of only three or four steps. The length of food chains is influenced by various factors beyond just energy loss.
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Assertion (A): Energy available at each trophic level gets diminished ...
Assertion and Reasoning Evaluation:
Assertion (A):
Energy available at each trophic level gets diminished progressively due to the loss of energy at each level.
Reason (R):
Food chains generally consist of only three or four steps due to the significant energy loss at each trophic level.
Explanation:
Energy Diminishment:
- As energy moves through a food chain, only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level.
- The rest of the energy is lost as heat or used for metabolism, resulting in diminished energy available at each successive trophic level.
Food Chain Complexity:
- The reason that food chains generally consist of only three or four steps is due to the significant energy loss at each trophic level.
- With each step in the food chain, energy is lost, making it difficult for energy to sustain more than a few trophic levels.
Evaluation:
- Both the assertion and reason are true.
- The reason provided does correctly explain why energy diminishes at each trophic level.
- Therefore, the correct answer is option (b) - Both Assertion and Reason are true but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion.