Question

In the following tightly coupled food chain the arrows indicate the direction of energy transfer. This food chain does not exhibit a trophic cascade.

If there are 1600 grams of biomass per square meter of grass, how many grams per square meter would you expect to find for the biomass of the rodents?

Group of answer choices

16

160

8000

1.6

8

If there are 1600 grams of biomass per square meter of grass, how many grams per square meter would you expect to find for the biomass of the rodents?

Answer 1

• Rodents act as herbivores which feed on the primary producers.
• As a foodchain proceeds there will be unidirectional follow of energy from the ultimate source sunlight which is derived by producers to the final consumer.
• About 80 to 90 % of energy produced will be lost as heat, as per the law of thermodynamics.Hence only 10 % of energy will be passed from one tropic level to other.
• That is transformation of the energy from one tropical level to the other is inefficient.
• Given that the producer grass produces a energy of 1600 biomass. Rodent acts as herbivores which directly consumes grass, the producer for deriving energy. As per the second law of thermodynamics only 10 % of energy from the grass that is only 1600 / 10 = 160 biomass of energy will be passed to the rodent. Hence the answer is 160 biomass.