Question

the diagram below shows a marine food chain with the amount of energy available to each trophic level in parentheses. why does the amount of energy decrease as you move up the chain? producers use most of the energy before it can reach the upper levels. individual organisms at the upper trophic levels require less energy to survive than those at the lower ones. decomposers are using up the energy between each trophic level. © 2016 w.p. armstrong

Explanation:

Energy is lost as heat and for life - processes at each trophic level. Only about 10 - 20% of the energy from the lower trophic level is passed on to the next level. As organisms consume others, they use energy for activities like movement, respiration, and growth, leaving less energy available for the next level in the food chain.

Answer:

The amount of energy decreases as you move up the food chain because energy is lost as heat and used for metabolic processes at each trophic level, with only a small percentage (10 - 20%) being transferred to the next level.