Question

In a food web, energy and matter are passed on to the next trophic level when an

organism feeds on another organism. However, none of the organisms consume the top
consumers.
How does the top consumer help in returning matter to the environment?
O by releasing body heat in various metabolic processes
O by excretion of waste and the death of the top consumer
O by utilizing atmospheric oxygen to form energy molecules
O by competition with other top consumers for food

Answer 1

O by excretion of waste and the death of the top consumer

Step-by-step explanation:

The top consumers in the food web pass energy and matter back to the next trophic level when they excrete waste products and also when they die.

Excretion is the passing out of waste materials of metabolism.

During the death of an organism, organic materials are liberated back into the ecosystem. Carbon is released into the soil, carbon dioxide into the atmosphere etc.

These materials are then recycled back into the ecosystem by the activities of plant and special organisms called decomposers. These organisms feed on dead animals especially.