Energy Flow & Food Chains in Ecosystems — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptIn an aquatic ecosystem, GFC is the major conduit for energy flow. As against this, in a terrestrial ecosystem, a much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the GFC. Detritus food chain may be connected with the grazing food chain at some levels: some of the organisms of DFC are prey to the GFC animals, and in a natural ecosystem, some animals like cockroaches, crows, etc., are omnivores. These natural interconnection of food chains make it a food web. How would you classify human beings!
Assertion (A): Energy flow patterns differ between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Reason (R): In terrestrial ecosystems, the grazing food chain is the major conduit for energy flow, while in aquatic ecosystems, the detritus food chain dominates.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: C — If assertion is true but reason is false.
NCERT confirms that energy flow patterns do differ between ecosystem types (Assertion true). However, NCERT explicitly states “In an aquatic ecosystem, GFC is the major conduit for energy flow. As against this, in a terrestrial ecosystem, a much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the GFC.” The Reason reverses this - it’s aquatic systems where GFC dominates, terrestrial where DFC dominates.
What does NCERT say about aquatic ecosystem GFC major?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
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