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Why are there fewer top carnivores than herbivore in most land ecosystem?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
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.
Guido Larkin
Wiki User
∙ 16y agoHerbiovers support and sustain carnivors, as carnivors kill and eat herbiovers. Therefore an individual carnivor will eat many harbiovers through its life time, that is why there afre more herbiovers than carnivors
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What is the ecosystem that is coldest and farthest north?
The coldeest land ecosystem is Tundra.
What is a herbivore that lives on land?
ground dwelling plant eater, I.E. cattle , rabbits, deer
What is the best source of energy for an ecosystem?
Sun is best source of energy in ecosystem , as the sunlight is essential part of photosynthesis , so the PRODUCERS (plants , algaee etc ) prepare their food from it ,which in turn helps in survival of ecosystems.
Is a canvasback duck a carnivore or a herbivore?
A mallard duck is an omnivore, that is, it eats both plants and animals. The mallard duck will eat invertebrates, small fish (like minnows), amphibians, and a wide range of aquatic plants. They will also eat grains and other plants on land.
What are the three levels of biological diversity?
The three levels of biological diversity are:Genetic diversitySpecies diversity, andCommunity and ecosystem diversity.
Is a cheetah a predator or an herbivore?
it isn't a herbivore, it is a scavenger and it also hunts.
How do so few types of organisms support the many carnivores in the Antarctic ecosystem?
The only ecosystem -- food chain, in 'Antarctica' is in the Southern Ocean. The land is too cold to support any kind of ecosystem. The food chain in the Southern Ocean is short -- only seven layers. The deep, cold polar ocean is the most protein-productive salt water on earth. Because the carnivores feed on each other, there seems to be food enough for all.
One example of a very complex land ecosystem full of thousands of kinds of living things?
land ecosystem is something that is not on the water ecosystem like soil, air, shade, and light Land ecosystem means NO WATER AT ALL The things in a land ecosystem are shade, soil, air, and light
Can an ecosystem overlap another ecosystem?
parts of ecosystems may be in another ecosystem, like say a evergreen pine tree was covered in water , or the land was flooded, that would be a part of land-based ecosystem in an aquatic ecosystem.
Is the pterosaur a herbivore?
There are over 135 known genera of pterosaur, but none are known to have been plant eaters. All known pterosaurs were carnivores, and depending on the species, their diet would have consisted of insects, fish, or small land animals.
What is a elephant a herbivore omnivore carnivore?
The elephant is a herbivore.
Are tiger carnivores that live on land?
Yes.
what is the difference between an aquatic and a terrestrial ecosystem?
An aquatic ecosystem is based on water, and a terrestrial ecosystem is based on land.
What is a leopard's ecosystem?
grass land
What is the ecosystem that seals live in?
the kind of ecosystem seals live in is a ocean ecosystem.........and sorta a dry land but mostly water
How are food webs in a land ecosystem and a water ecosystem alike?
panget ka talaga
What is the ecosystem that is coldest and farthest north?
The coldeest land ecosystem is Tundra.
