What Best Explains This Observation: Consumers Directly Use Approximately 20

question 39

Multiple Choice

What best explains this observation: consumers directly use approximately 20 percent of a forest's net primary productivity (NPP) ,whereas decomposers directly use approximately 80 percent?

• A) Decomposers are more efficient at obtaining energy than consumers.
• B) Forest ecosystems do not have a very high NPP, so they cannot support as many consumers as other ecosystems can.
• C) Consumers eat only certain parts of organisms, such as fruits or muscle tissue, whereas decomposers obtain energy from the entire body of the food organism.
• D) Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers more quickly than the primary consumers can eat the producers, thus leaving most of the NPP available to the decomposers.

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Definitions:

Mutual Interdependence

A condition in which the actions or decisions of each firm in a market affect and are affected by those of other firms, particularly relevant in oligopolistic markets.

Localized Market

A market confined to a specific geographic area, where the products or services offered are tailored to the preferences of the local population.

Profits-Payoff Table

A tabular representation that illustrates the potential profits or payoffs from various business strategies or decisions under different scenarios.

Duopoly

A market structure characterized by two companies controlling the majority of the market share for a good or service.