Pyramids of Biomass Flashcards

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What does biomass mean in a food chain?

Biomass is the total dry mass of living things at one level in a food chain.

What is a pyramid of biomass?

A pyramid of biomass is a bar chart that shows the biomass at each level in a food chain.

In a pyramid of biomass, which organisms are always shown at the bottom?

Producers, such as green plants or algae, are always at the bottom of the pyramid of biomass.

What does the width of each bar in a pyramid of biomass represent?

The width of each bar shows the total biomass of all the organisms at that level.

What units are often used for biomass on land in a pyramid of biomass?

Biomass on land is often measured in grams or kilograms of dry mass per square metre (g/m^2 or kg/m^2).

Why do pyramids of biomass usually get narrower at higher levels?

They get narrower because there is less biomass at each higher level in the food chain than at the level below.

Why do scientists use dry biomass instead of fresh mass in pyramids of biomass?

Water in organisms can change a lot. Using dry biomass gives a fairer measure of how much living material there is.

How can you work out the biomass of one level from sample data?

Find the average (mean) dry mass of one organism, then multiply it by the number of organisms at that level.

How is a pyramid of biomass different from a pyramid of numbers?

A pyramid of biomass shows the mass of living material at each level, not just how many organisms there are.

What can a pyramid of biomass tell you about a food chain?

It shows how much living material is at each stage and how it changes from producers to top consumers.