Question Detail
Question
Which of the following food chains is the most efficient for making energy available to human beings, assuming the same mass of green plant material is consumed in each case? A. Green plant - > sheep - > human beings B. Green plant - > human beings C. Green plant - > zooplankton - > fish - > human beings
Correct Answer
Option B is the correct answer.
Detailed Explanation
Energy transfer between trophic levels is only about 10% efficient. The shorter the food chain, the less energy is lost. Eating plants directly (being a primary consumer) makes the most energy available to humans compared to eating herbivores (secondary consumer) or carnivores (tertiary consumer).
Hint
The fewer the steps between the plant and you, the more energy you get.