Why Biomass Decreases Up a Food Chain Flashcards

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In a food chain, what does the word biomass mean?

Biomass is the total mass of living material in an organism or a level of a food chain.

What happens to the total biomass as you move up each level of a food chain?

The total biomass gets smaller at each higher level in a food chain.

Why does biomass decrease when not all organisms at one level are eaten by the next level?

Some plants or animals die without being eaten, so their biomass is not passed on to the next level.

Why does biomass decrease when parts of food are not eaten?

Some parts, like bones, roots, and skin, are left uneaten, so their biomass does not move to the next level.

Why does biomass decrease when food cannot be fully digested?

Some food is not broken down and is passed out as faeces, so that biomass is lost from the food chain.

How does respiration in cells cause a loss of biomass between trophic levels?

In respiration, part of the food is used to release energy and is lost as carbon dioxide and water, so less biomass is left for growth.

How does movement cause a loss of biomass between levels in a food chain?

Animals use food for movement, and this energy is lost as heat, so less food is turned into new biomass.

How does keeping a constant body temperature affect biomass transfer in mammals and birds?

Mammals and birds use a lot of food to keep warm, so less of their food becomes new biomass that can be passed on.

What happens to biomass that is lost from the food chain as waste or dead material?

Decomposers break it down, and the nutrients go back into the environment rather than to the next level in the food chain.

Why does the loss of biomass at each trophic level mean that food chains are usually short?

So much biomass is lost at each step that there is not enough left to support many more levels.

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