Can someone help me with this science questions about energy in the ecosystem?

Question

energy flows through an ecosystem. The biomass, and thus the energy available in the ecosystem decreases as you move u p from the trophic level of a producer to a secondary consumer. Why does the amount of available energy decrease?

Answer 1

1. Some of the energy was used to make parts of organisms that can't be utilized by animals that feed on them: fibers, teeth, hair, bones, scales, ...
2. Some of the energy was used by the organisms themselves in their daily lives.
3. Some of the energy was used to generate heat which escaped into the atmosphere.
4. Some of the organisms are never eaten - burned up in a fire, buried under something, ...

Answer 2

Each level is only absorbing some of the total energy from the level above and each level is using much of that energy (to move, build proteins, undergo mitosis, etc).

For example, the base level is made up of plants. All the plants take in energy, use much of it, and store part of it. Animals only eat some of the plants, and only take in the stored energy. Those animals move around and their cells use up energy to keep that animal alive, etc.

Answer 3

this is because at each stage, nutrients are being taken. plants take nutrients from sun and convert it to something they can use. herbivores eat those plants and absorb nutrients from the food they ate. at each stage, there is always a loss of energy due to various factors. heat is one of them