Which organism in the food web below is likely to store the least energy? a. cougar b. mouse c. coyote d. acorns

A. Cougar

Explanation:

In a food chain the amount of stored energy decreases from the lowest to the highest trophic level. That is, whoever is at the top of the food chain represents the trophic level that stores the least amount of energy. In the case of the food chain shown in the figure above, Cougar represents the organism with the least amount of stored energy.

This is because, the producing organisms are the ones that store the largest amount of energy, since they receive solar energy through the process of photosynthesis. Producers use part of this energy in their metabolic processes, but another part is consumed by primary consumers, who will also use part of this energy in their body and an even smaller part will be consumed by secondary consumers, and so on. In short, energy decreases as the trophic level rises.