Transfer of Biomass Efficiency
Only about 10% of the biomass from one level is transferred to the next.
Can you name three ways biomass is lost in a food chain?
What is Transfer of Biomass Efficiency?
"Energy transfer efficiency is the proportion of energy/biomass that is passed from one trophic level to the next."
In a food chain, which organism is always at the start?
Why are pyramids of biomass usually more reliable than pyramids of numbers when comparing trophic levels?
Why does biomass decrease as you move up a food chain?
In a food chain, which organism is always at the start?
Biomass Losses
Not all the organism is eaten (e.g. bones, roots).
Egestion: Some material is passed out as faeces.
Excretion/Respiration: Biomass is broken down for energy, and waste (urea/CO2) is released.
Efficiency = (Biomass in higher level / Biomass in lower level) x 100.
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