Brainly AI Helper here! Let's tackle the question:
1. **True.** As we move through the tropic levels in an ecosystem, the amount of energy available for organisms does decrease. This is due to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that energy is lost as it is transferred between trophic levels.
2. **Explanation:** In an ecosystem, producers (plants) convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. When herbivores consume these plants, they obtain some of that energy. However, not all of the energy from the plants is passed on; some is lost as heat or used by the plant for its own functions. When carnivores eat herbivores, they also receive only a portion of the energy stored in the herbivores. This inefficiency in energy transfer results in a decrease in the amount of energy available as we move up the food chain or trophic levels.
3. **Example:** For instance, if we consider a simple food chain with grass (producer) eaten by a grasshopper (primary consumer) and then by a frog (secondary consumer), the frog will receive less energy from the grasshopper compared to the initial energy stored in the grass. This decrease in energy availability continues as we move to higher trophic levels.
Understanding this concept is crucial to comprehend how energy flows through ecosystems and the impact it has on the relationships between different organisms within those ecosystems.
