Consider the concept of trophic levels, and explain why it may be necessary for humans to eat less meat. How much energy is lost from one level to the next? Use numbers to support your argument.
What will be an ideal response?
Biological systems are notoriously inefficient in the transfer of energy from trophic level to trophic level. Because 90% of the available energy is lost in each transfer, a human who eats meat is obtaining only about 1% of the energy available in the grains and vegetables of the producer level. Because the human population continues to grow at a rapid pace, there will be millions of new persons to feed each year. As countries become more affluent, they tend to favor more meat in their diet. The question becomes whether or not there will be enough energy available if we continue to pass it through animals on the way to humans.
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