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There are fewer top carnivores than herbivores in a land ecosystem, primarily because they are more resources available to herbivores than carnivores. For example, there are many plants available for herbivores to eat, and carnivores have a limited choice of herbivores, depending on the environment.

Think of it this way: If there were more carnivores than herbivores, then eventually, there will be a very little amount of herbivores left for carnivores to eat, and those carnivores will either have to adapt, migrate, or starve. 90 percent of energy is lost when one organism consumes another. This means that a carnivore gets 90 percent less energy from eating a herbivore than the herbivore gets from eating a plant. So, in order for a carnivore to get as much energy as a herbivore, it must eat more herbivores. So, if it were the other way around, the carnivores would not have enough food to eat.

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Guido Larkin

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3y ago

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