In the pre-1850 grasslands of North America there were hundreds of millions of grazing animals such as buffalo, antelope and deer. At the same time there were many fewer meat eaters, such as wolves. Explain in terms of energy flow in ecosystems and the Second law of Thermodynamics why there were so many grazers and so relatively few meat eaters. Would you expect more plants (such as grasses) tahn grazes, or fewer in the pre-1850 grasslands? Justify your response, be specific and complete.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that \" Energy transformation is not 100% efficient\". In the process of energy conversion, a part of high quality energy is converted to thermal energy (a low quality energy)that causes disorganizd or random motion of molecules. The high quality energy is capable of doing work, while low quality energy can not and is just dissipated in the environment.
Let us now relate this Law to the trophic structure which refers to the feeding relations of organisms within the ecosystem. We can then see the energy flow:
1. The primary ...