Energy And Biomass In Food Chains COPY

Question 1

How much of the light that reaches them do green plants and algae absorb

Answer 1

A small amount

Question 2

What happens during photosynthesis

Answer 2

Light energy is transferred to chemical energy

Question 3

Where is the energy from photosynthesis stored

Answer 3

In the substances that make up the cells of the plants

Question 4

The mass of living material (biomass) at each stage in a food chain is LESS than it was at the previous stage because

Answer 4

Some materials and energy are always lost inter organisms waste materials. Respiration supples all the energy needs for living processes, including movement. Much of this energy is eventually transferred to the surroundings

Question 5

The biomass at each stage can be drawn to scale and shown as a

Answer 5

Pyramid of biomass

Question 6

The efficiency of food production can be improved by

Answer 6

Reducing the number of stages in a food chain. This is because fewer energy losses occur along a shorter food chain, meaning a greater proportion of the energy that entered the food chain is available to humans and more people can be fed.

Question 7

The efficiency of food production can also be improved by

Answer 7

Restricting energy loss from food animals by limiting their movement and by controlling the temperature of their surroundings

Question 8

Fish stocks in the oceans are DECLINING. What is it important to do to prevent certain species from disappearing altogether in some areas

Answer 8

It is important to maintain fish stocks at a level where breeding continues

Question 9

Which things play an important role in the conservation of fish stocks

Answer 9

Net size and fishing quotas

Question 10

Practical solutions for human needs may require compromise between competing priorities, including

Answer 10

The differences in efficiency between producing food from animals and plants. The issues associated with farming of animals The implications of food miles

Question 11

Why do living organisms remove materials from the environment and what happens to them eventually

Answer 11

Living organisms remove materials from the environment for growth and other processes. These materials are returned to the environment either in waster materials or when living things decay

Question 12

Why do materials decay

Answer 12

They are broken down (digested) by micro organisms.

Question 13

What type of conditions are micro organisms more active in and digest materials faster

Answer 13

Warm, moist, aerobic conditions

Question 14

What does the decay process release

Answer 14

Substances that plants need to grow

Question 15

In a stable community, the processes that remove materials are balanced by

Answer 15

Processes that return materials. The materials are part of a constant cycle.

Question 16

The constant cycle is called

Answer 16

The carbon cycle

Question 17

What is the source of energy for most communities of living organisms

Answer 17

Radiation from the sun

Question 18

Why is the mass of living material (biomass) less at each stage than it was at the previous one

Answer 18

At each level in the chain, energy/biomass is lost through waste (eg faeces) or through respiration and associated processes (such as movement and maintaining body temperature). -some materials and energy are always lost in the organisms’ waste materials -respiration supplies all the energy needed for living processes, including movement. Much of this energy is eventually transferred to the surroundings

Question 19

What are the issues associated with factory farming of animals

Answer 19

It causes reduced animal welfare, increased risk of injury, and increased risk of diseases (eg salmonella amongst chickens).

Question 20

Food miles argument

Answer 20

In order to supply cheap produce all year round, many supermarkets import food from other countries around the world - where it is cheaper to produce or grows more plentifully. Some developing countries rely on food exports to the UK to generate income. However, the greater the distance the food has travelled, the greater the impact on the environment. This is due to the pollution from carbon dioxide emissions, generated by the transporting vehicles. A compromise must be found between the monetary cost to the consumer, the impact on developing economies and the environmental cost of the pollution associated with transporting food over such long distances.