Question

In the following food chain plants provide 500 j of energy to rats how much energy will be available to hawks from snakes
Plants-rats-snakes-hawks

Answer 1

0.5Jbecause it follows 10%energy loss law

Answer 2

The hawk will receive 5 joules energy.

This amount of energy can be calculated by using the method of 10% energy rule.

The 10% rule of energy is applied in calculating the energy loss in a food chain at every trophic level.

According to this rule, with increasing trophic level, there is a decrease in the amount of the energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the other.

When we apply the energy rule in the given food chain, we get to calculate:

Rats have 500 joules of energy and when this energy is transferred to the other trophic level there will be some loss of energy which will be of 10%. This means that at the next trophic level will get 50 joules of energy.

Now, snakes are left with 50 joules of energy and when the Hawk will eat the snake there will be another 10% loss of energy which will amount it into 5 joules of energy left for the Hawk.