Assertion: Greater number of individuals are present in lower trophic levels.
Reason: The flow of energy is unidirectional.
Answer:
Producer is the first trophic level. As we move to higher trophic levels, the number of organisms keeps decreasing . This is to maintain a balance in the ecosystem. If the producers were not more than the consumers, then the consumers would simply starve to death.
Therefore, a greater number of individuals are present in lower trophic levels.
The flow of energy in a food chain is unidirectional.
Thus,
- Assertion is true.
- Reason is true.
- Reason is not the correct explanation for assertion.
So, the correct answer is (b).