The assimilation efficiency (AE) of an animal is the percentage of the total mass of food eaten that is absorbed into the body after digestion, rather than being lost as faeces.
Caterpillars feed exclusively on plant foliage. Explain why herbivores generally exhibit a significantly lower assimilation efficiency than carnivores.
A caterpillar consumes 16.0 g16.0\text{ g}16.0 g of foliage and produces 10.4 g10.4\text{ g}10.4 g of faeces. Calculate the assimilation efficiency (AE) of this caterpillar. Show your working.
