Pyramids of Biomass Flashcards
The ‘stuff’ that makes up a living organism is called…
biomass
What else can biomass be referred to as?
- Carbon compounds
- Chemical energy
- Glucose
- Carbohydrates
What is respiration?
The chemical reaction that releases energy from glucose
What is photosynthesis?
The chemical reaction that creates glucose from carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.
What is the equaiton for respiration?
Glucose + Oxygen –> Carbon Dioxide + Water + ENERGY
What is the equation for photosynthesis?
Carbon Dioxide + Water —sunlight—> Glucose + Oxygen
Plants turn light energy into…
chemical energy (biomass)
Where do plants get their energy from?
sunlight
What is at the eginning of every food chain?
A plant
The plant at the beginning of a food chain is called the…
producer
The animal in a food chain that eats a producer is called the…
primary consumer
The animal in a food chain that eats the primary consumer is called the…
secondary consumer
The animal is a food chain that eats the secondary consumer is called the…
teriary consumer
What do the arrows in a food chain represent?
The direct that chemical energy is moving
Only 10% of the chemical energy eaten by an animal in a food chain becomes biomass. What happens to the other 90%?
It is lost as:
- Movement
- Waste (faeces and urine)
- Generating heat
- Respiration
What happens to the amount of biomass as you move up through a food chain?
The amount of biomass becomes less and less.
Draw a pyramid of biomass for the following food chain:
Dandelion –> Rabbit –> Fox
Which organism in a food chain always contains the most biomass?
The producer (plant)
Which organism always goes at the bottom of a pyramid of biomass?
The proucer (plant)
Algae is a…
Plant
What would happen if all the producers in a food chain died?
The animals would all die as energy enters a food chain via light energy from the Sun.
What does each ‘bar’ on a pyramid of biomass represent?
How much all of the organisms that the bar represents would weigh if you put them together.
Why do the bars of the pyramid become shorter as you move up?
Because energy and biomass are being lost as you move up the food chain as:
Movement
Generating heat
Waste (faeces + urine)
Respiration
