The Transfer of Biomass in Food Chains: Efficiency and Energy Loss

The video discusses biomass and energy transfer in food chains, highlighting inefficiencies at each trophic level. It explains the pyramid of biomass, calculates transfer efficiencies, and explores energy loss due to non-ingestion, non-absorption, and respiration. The video emphasizes the impact of trophic levels on efficiency, showing that fewer levels increase efficiency and support more organisms.

What does the pyramid of biomass illustrate in a food chain?

• The speed of growth of organisms at each level

• The energy flow between trophic levels

• The relative amount of biomass at each trophic level

• The total number of organisms at each trophic level

Why is only a small percentage of biomass transferred from grass to zebra?

• Zebras store all consumed biomass

• Most biomass is lost due to respiration and waste

• All ingested grass is digested

• Zebras eat all parts of the grass

What is a primary reason for low biomass transfer efficiency from zebra to lions?

• Lions store all consumed biomass

• Lions eat all parts of the zebra

• Lions digest all ingested zebra biomass

• Much of the zebra biomass is not ingested or absorbed

How is energy primarily lost in food chains?

• Through photosynthesis

• Through respiration and waste

• Through increased biomass

• Through direct absorption

What percentage of light energy is typically used by plants for photosynthesis?

• 1%

• 99%

• 50%

• 10%

In the corn to chicken to fox food chain, what percentage of energy is transferred from corn to chicken?

• 50%

• 5%

• 10%

• 1%

Why does the number of trophic levels in a food chain affect energy efficiency?

• More levels increase energy efficiency

• The number of levels has no effect

• More levels decrease energy efficiency

• Fewer levels decrease energy efficiency

How does reducing the number of trophic levels impact biomass efficiency?

• It decreases efficiency

• It reduces the number of organisms

• It increases efficiency

• It has no impact

What is the biomass efficiency when corn is directly consumed by humans?

• 10%

• 5%

• 1%

• 20%

Why can more humans be supported by eating corn directly rather than through chicken?

• Corn has more energy than chicken

• Direct consumption reduces energy loss

• Chickens are more efficient than corn

• Corn is easier to digest