An orange roughy fish is a fourth-level consumer that requires almost ten times the amount of food available from the primary producers in the ecosystem. why isn't more energy available from the primary producers?

a. primary producers are not very efficient and lose most of their energy to the environment.
b. there is too much competition from other fourth-level consumers, leaving very little available to the orange roughy.
c. only a fraction of energy is passed through each level, so there is less available to upper-level consumers.
d. the energy flow is unbalanced and tends to move toward the lower levels.

The correct answer is option C

The fraction of energy that is available to the fourth level of the ecosystem is very less because the fraction of energy is passed on through each level.

According to the law, only 90% of the energy is transferred through each tropic level and rest of the energy is lost in the form of heat.

Thus, only a fraction of energy reaches the upper tropic level starting from the producers.

it cools slower in the earth meaning the crystals have more time to form than lava on the surface

1: most common garden plants prefer loam — soils with a balance of different-sized mineral particles (approximately 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay) with ample organic matter and pore space. however, some plants grow better in sandy soils, while others are well-adapted to clay soils.

2: available water capacity is the maximum amount of plant available water a soil can provide. it is an indicator of a soil's ability to retain water and make it sufficiently available for plant use. available water capacity is the water held in soil between its field capacity and permanent wilting point.

3: it is the same for all living things (plants and animals). it also includes very tiny organisms that our eyes cannot see. they are known as microorganisms, and include viruses, bacteria and fungi.