Question

A lion is a tertiary consumer. Why can't the savanna support a large number of lions?

O secondary and tertiary consumers can only live in large numbers in the forest
O secondary and tertiary consumers are unable to do photosynthesis
O secondary and tertiary consumers do not provide energy to decomposers
O secondary and tertiary consumers require so much energy from their ecosystem

Answer 1

The savanna cannot support a large number of lions because tertiary consumers require a significant amount of energy from their ecosystem and their prey depends on non-photosynthetic organisms for their energy. So the correct answer is Option D.

Step-by-step explanation:

In many ecosystems, the food chain consists of photosynthetic organisms (plants/phytoplankton), called primary producers, which are consumed by herbivores called primary consumers. Lions are tertiary consumers, which means they consume other carnivores. The reason the savanna cannot support a large number of lions is because tertiary consumers require a significant amount of energy from their ecosystem, and their prey, which are smaller carnivorous animals, depend on non-photosynthetic organisms for their energy.