Pyramid Biomass

Question 1

What happens to the total mass is passed down

Answer 1

It decreases

It’s either lost or used

Question 2

What percentage of biomass is passed down

Answer 2

About 10%

Question 3

Reasons why only 10% of biomass gets passed down

Answer 3

• organism don’t usually eat every part
• bits the do eat might be not be absorbed and pooped out
• most materials that animals absorb are used to release energy through respiration rather than for growth eg (co2 and urea) rather than being stored in organism

Question 4

How do you calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer

Answer 4

Efficiency = biomass transfered to next level / biomass that was available at the previous level
*100 for percentage

Question 5

Why are short food chains more efficient

Answer 5

Because the loss of energy and biomass is lost between tropic levels