feeding relationships Flashcards
1
Q
what is biomass
A
the dry mass of all the living organisms in an area
2
Q
why is dry mass used for biomass
A
because the wet mass varies as the volume of water in the organism varies
3
Q
what is the calculation for efficiency of biomass transfer
A
efficiency= energy transferred/total energy available x 100
4
Q
biomass transfers are not 100% efficient because energy is lost through…
A
- egestion (removal of faeces)
- excretion (removal of waste produce eg. urine)
- respiration
- the production of inedible bones and shells
5
Q
what happens to organisms and trophic levels if transfers are less efficient
A
the less efficient the transfers, the fewer trophic levels and the fewer organisms on higher trophic levels
6
Q
what do food webs show
A
the interactions of multiple different food chains show one path of food dependencies
