Pyramids of biomass and biomass transfer

Question 1

What happens to energy and biomass levels as you move up a trophic level

Answer 1

There is less

Question 2

What does each bar on a pyramid of biomass show

Answer 2

-the relative mass of living material at a trophic level

Question 3

What part of the food chain have the biggest biomass

Answer 3

Producer

Question 4

What is the main source of energy for nearly all life on earth

Answer 4

The sun

Question 5

What does biomass store

Answer 5

Energy

Question 6

Why is biomass lost between trophic levels

-o… don’t always eat every s… part of the organism they are c… eg b…
—>so not all of the b… can be p… onto the next s… of the food c…

-organisms don’t a… all the m… in the food they i…, the stuff they don’t a… is removed through f…

-some of the b… taken in is c… into other s… that are lost as w…
—>eg some g… is used for r… rather than to make more b…
-this p… lots of waste C… and w… as by-p…

Answer 6

-organisms don’t always eat every single part of the organism they are consuming eg bone
—>so not all of the biomass can be passed onto the next stage of the food chain

-organisms don’t absorb all the molecules in the food they ingest, the stuff they don’t absorb is removed through faeces

-some of the biomass taken in is converted into other substances that are lost as waste
—>eg some glucose is used for respiration rather than to make more biomass
-this produced lots of waste CO2 and water as by-products

Question 7

Calculating efficiency of biomass transfer

Answer 7

Efficiency= biomass transferred/ biomass available