Question

why does a food chain consists of only three or four steps

Answer 1

Food chains always start with producers, which are almost always green plants. The other organisms in the food chain are consumers – they all get their energy and biomass by consuming (eating) other organisms. ... This is because a lot of energy is lost at each step.

Answer 2

Answer:

A food chain’s length is restricted to just 3 or 4 steps due to energy loss. Moreover, the energy added to the biomass of each trophic level is significantly lower than the one preceding it. This occurs as a result of material wastage from subsequently trophic levels and for the maintenance of various life processes. Consequently, the shorter the food chain, the more energy that is available to the final consumer. A shorter food chain is also considerably more efficient as less energy is lost.

Explanation: