topic 5

Question 1

Define biomass

Answer 1

total dry mass (not including water)
OR
The amount of carbon (as organic chemicals are made from chains of carbons)

Question 2

Why does biomass not include water?

Answer 2

-Aim to measure the amount of biological matter that has been produced (ie. the amount of organic compounds such as lipids + carbohydrates + proteins)
-Measuring the amount of growth whcih water is not usually part of
-wet mass weighs a lot

Question 3

How do you measure biomass in an ecosystem?

Answer 3

Normally meausre the biomass in a given area at a a given time

Question 4

Explain how you meausre biomass

Answer 4

-Dry (but not burnt)
-Oven at 80c until mass no longer changes

Question 5

What do pyramids of biomass show?

Answer 5

Show the dry mass of living material in a given area at that time

Question 6

What do pyramids of biomass not show?

Answer 6

Seasonal fluctuations

Question 7

What are the units of biomass?

Answer 7

KG m-2

Question 8

What is represented by the bottom box of the pyramid?

Answer 8

Producers

Question 9

What is the order of the boxes?

Answer 9

Same as the order of the food chain

Question 10

What does the length of each box show?

Answer 10

The biomass

Question 11

What do pyramids of energy show?

Answer 11

The amount of energy stored at each trophic level over a period of time

Question 12

Why is energy lost between each trophic level?

Answer 12

Due to inefficiencies in energy transfers between trophic levels

Question 13

What kind of stored energy does food have?

Answer 13

Chemical

Question 14

Explain how energyis changed into different forms during burning

Answer 14

chemical energy

Heat energy

Light energy

Question 15

How can heat energy released by the food be measured? Calorimetery

Answer 15

-Burning the organism
-using heat energy to heat up the water
-Measure temprature change of the water
-Calculate the nergy transfered

Question 16

Describe what the arrows represent in energy flow diagrams

Answer 16

-The transfer of energy
-The wider the arrow the more energy

Question 17

What ends up as heat energy?

Answer 17

The energy transfered in respiration

Question 18

Where does the energy from remains and wastes go?

Answer 18

Saprobionts (decomposers)

Question 19

What do animals use ATP for?

Answer 19

-Muscle contraction
-Synthesis reactions
-Active transport
-Mitosis

Question 20

What does N stand for

Answer 20

-Net production (energy stored in new cells)
-Net= profit

Question 21

What does I stand for?

Answer 21

-Chemical energy in ingested food

Question 22

What does R stand for?

Answer 22

Respiratory loss

Question 23

What does F stand for?

Answer 23

Energy in faeces + urine

Question 24

Give the equation for net production

Answer 24

I- (R+F)

Question 25

What is the ultimate energy source in most ecosystems?

Answer 25

Sunlight

Question 26

Plants synthesise organic compounds from CO2 by photosynthesis (as CO2 is fixed?) -The amount of energy stored in these organic compounds is the what?

Answer 26

GPP (gross primary production)

Question 27

Some of the sugars made in photosynthesis are used as respiratory substrates. What is respiratory loss?

Answer 27

-Respiratory loss is the energy transferred in respiration

Question 28

What are the rest of the sugars (not lost by respiration) used to make?

Answer 28

-Other biological molecules which make up the biomass of the plant

Question 29

What is NPP?

Answer 29

-The amount of chemical energy stored in plant biomass -The amount of energy avaliable to herbivores -When the plant dies it is avaliable to hydrolyse

Question 30

What is the equation for NPP?

Answer 30

GPP- respiratory loss

Question 31

Define GPP?

Answer 31

-Total energy stored in organic compounds produced by photosynthesis -Some of these compounds are subsequently used in respiration

Question 32

Define NPP?

Answer 32

-The amount of chemical energy stored in plant biomass -The amount of energy that is avaliable to herbivores and decomposers

Question 33

GPP depends on the rate of what?

Answer 33

Photosynthesis

Question 34

NPP depends on the rate of what?

Answer 34

Respiration and photosynthesis

Question 35

NPP is dtermined by the difference between the rates of?

Answer 35

Respiration + photosynthesis

Question 36

The co2 released in respiration isnpart of the CO2 used for photosynthesis, the remainder of the CO2 is needed for 1.___ and is taken in through the 2.___

Answer 36

1.photosynthesis 2.stomata

Question 37

How does temperature impact GPP?

Answer 37

Increases until certain point (limiting factor)-

Question 38

How does an incraese in temp impact NPP?

Answer 38

-Stays the same -Photosynthesis amd respiration both increase but not nesscarily the same amount