The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

GCSE Biology 9-1

I just wanted some quick help with a question...
What is biomass? Isn't it the mass of an organism's body tissue. Then how come as you go up trophic levels the biomass decreases when it really doesn't because as you go up trophic levels the organism grow bigger? I really don't understand
Original post by frageeko
I just wanted some quick help with a question...
What is biomass? Isn't it the mass of an organism's body tissue. Then how come as you go up trophic levels the biomass decreases when it really doesn't because as you go up trophic levels the organism grow bigger? I really don't understand


Biomass is the dry mass, so excludes all the water, it contains all the possible energy sources. So skin, bone and flesh for example - most animals won't eat the whole organism. Also the biomass as you go up the trophic levels decreases becasue of metabolism/MRS GREN. All the process that take place eg: movment to catch prey .... This means that biomass decreases as you go up the food chain! Hope this helps! :smile:
Biomass is the total mass available (food) for the next trophic level in a food chain. Biomass is lost in a food chain as organisms use energy/biomass to respire, produce faeces and to maintain a constant body temperature (heat loss).
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 3
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by PenPaper
Biomass is the dry mass, so excludes all the water, it contains all the possible energy sources. So skin, bone and flesh for example - most animals won't eat the whole organism. Also the biomass as you go up the trophic levels decreases becasue of metabolism/MRS GREN. All the process that take place eg: movment to catch prey .... This means that biomass decreases as you go up the food chain! Hope this helps! :smile:


But in my revision guide it says the biomass of an organism is the mass of its body tissue?
Reply 4
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by RiemannN
Biomass is the total mass available (food) for the next trophic level in a food chain.


But in my revision guide it says that an organisms biomass is its body tissues mass?
Original post by frageeko
I just wanted some quick help with a question...
What is biomass? Isn't it the mass of an organism's body tissue. Then how come as you go up trophic levels the biomass decreases when it really doesn't because as you go up trophic levels the organism grow bigger? I really don't understand


the biomass decreases because not every part of the animal is eaten. e.g. bones aren't eaten so nergy decreases as you go up trophic levels
Yes, the energy stored in the tissue changes through specific processes in a food chain.
Original post by frageeko
But in my revision guide it says the biomass of an organism is the mass of its body tissue?


Yes, so its everything the organism is made out of except the water but you could also say body tissue!
Reply 8
Avatar for zoe2002
zoe2002
16
what is lamrack and darwins theory
Reply 9
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by PenPaper
Biomass is the dry mass, so excludes all the water, it contains all the possible energy sources. So skin, bone and flesh for example - most animals won't eat the whole organism. Also the biomass as you go up the trophic levels decreases becasue of metabolism/MRS GREN. All the process that take place eg: movment to catch prey .... This means that biomass decreases as you go up the food chain! Hope this helps! :smile:


What is metabolism sorry
Original post by frageeko
What is metabolism sorry


They are basically, chemical reactions that are used to produce energy! for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition... >>>MRS GREN<<<. It that ok?
Original post by zoe2002
what is lamrack and darwins theory


Lamarck suggested that a change in an animals lifetime could be an inherited feature in the animals offspring, whereas Darwin suggested natural selection; the idea that when there is a change of an environment, only animals with favourable features survive, therefore passing those genes onto the next generation.

To put this into perspective: Lamarck's theory would suggest that if someone dyed a hamsters fur pink, then the babies of the hamster would be born with pink fur. Darwin's theory would suggest that by random chance, in a population of hamsters, there may a few with pink fur. If the environment changed to the point where only hamsters with pink fur could survive (stupid, but fine for the purpose of the explanation), then non-pink hamsters would die out, leaving only pink hamsters to survive, reproduce and pass on their pink fur genes to the next generation.
Original post by frageeko
What is metabolism sorry


the sum of all the chemical reactions in the body
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 13
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by penpaper
they are basically, chemical reactions that are used to produce energy! For movement, respiration, sensitivity, reproduction, excretion and nutrition... >>>mrs gren<<<. It that ok?


thank you!!!
Reply 14
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by lydiarutharnold
the sum of all the chemical reactions in the body


Ok thank you
Np, btw how did your paper go and what about chemistry?
Reply 16
Avatar for frageeko
frageeko
OP
8
Original post by PenPaper
Np, btw how did your paper go and what about chemistry?


It went okay thank you, now its the wait
biomass is the total living tissue in an organism. as you move up the food chain, the biomass will change because not all biomass consumed by the predator will be stored in its biomass. it will be transferred as heat to the surroundings because of metabolic processes such as respiration, movement, sexual reproduction and excretion. also not all of the organism is eaten by the predator, bones are left over and not all of the organism is digested therefore some biomass is lost in the form of faeceshope that helps xx

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you