b. energy transfer

Question 1

trophic levels

Answer 1

different feeding levels in a food chain

Question 2

biomass transfer

Answer 2

energy stored in a plant’s biomass is transferred to an herbivore when eaten, which in turn is passed onto a carnivore when the herbivore is eaten. So the energy is passed through different trophic levels in a food chain and flows through the biotic components of an ecosystem.

Question 3

efficiency formula

Answer 3

energy transferred to biomass / energy transferred to organism

Question 4

pyramid of biomass

Answer 4

• shows total biomass of all organisms in each trophic level in an ecosystem
• has a pyramid shape because energy is transferred from the food chain to the surroundings at each trophic level, so less energy available to make biomass

Question 5

how can biomass be lost between stages?

Answer 5

because not all of the matter eaten by an organism is digested. some of it is excreted as waste such as solid
faeces, carbon dioxide and water in
respiration and water and urea in urine.