How much energy will be available to hawks in the food chain comprising hawk, snake, paddy, and mice if 10,000 J of energy is available to paddy from the Sun?

Question

Philoid · Accepted Answer

Paddy (rice plants) represents the producer level. Paddy plants trap only 1% of the Sun's energy of 10,000J falling on them.

So, the energy available in paddy will be 1% of 10,000 J which will be 100 J. From plants (paddy), the amount of energy passed to the next trophic level is 10%. As we know paddy will be the producers, mice will be the primary consumer, and then the snake will be the secondary consumer and at last will be a hawk, the tertiary consumer. We can now write the food chain and apply ten percent low to it.

(Paddy100 J) → (Mice 10 J) → (Snake 1 j) → (Hawk 0.1 J)

Thus, the energy available to the hawk in the food chain will be 0.1 J.