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| • | A general rule of thumb is that only about 10% of |
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| the energy consumed from one trophic level ever |
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| gets assimilated into the next higher trophic level. |
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| This suggests that humans could acquire more |
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| food per unit area of farmland by eating “lower on |
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| the food chain.” More
efficient ecosystems |
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| usually have more trophic levels.
Consumers, |
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| though ultimately dependent upon the primary |
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| production that sustains them, can have significant |
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| influence upon the overall trophic structure of |
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| their community. |
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