Energy in biomass B1.5
- Created by: neve.dh
- Created on: 04-05-17 19:06
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- Energy in biomass
- Energy tansfers
- Energy is lost due to movement as biomass is used for respiration in the cells to provide energy for movement.
- Herbivores can't digest all of the plant material they eat and that is passed out the body as faeces.
- Meat is easier to digest but some of the material from the herbivores is passed out through the carnivores as faeces.
- Animals like mammals and birds use biomass to keep their bodies at a constant temperature.
- If an animals eats more protein than is needed it gets broken down as passed out as urea in the urine; this is another way of losing biomass.
- Energy transfer can be shown in a sankey diagram and that can be used to work out how much energy was spent where.
- Recycling organic waste
- We can use compost heaps ourselves instead. This can be done with or without oxygen but is faster with oxygen.
- We put most of our organic waste into landfill sites where the decay microorganisms respire anaerobically and produce methane gas which contributes to global warming.
- Pyramids of biomass
- BIOMASS is the mass of material in a living organism. (The dry mass of biological material)
- BIOMASS is built up from the radiation from the sun being converted into chemical energy when plants do PHOTO-SYNTHESIS
- The amount of biomass DECREASES at each stage of the food chain due to respiration, faeces and urine loss.
- In a food chain there are producers (plants), primary consumers (herbivores), and secondary consumers (carnivores).
- In a food chain a large amount of plant biomass supports a smaller amount of herbivore biomass and that supports an even smaller amount of carnivore biomass.
- The carbon cycle
- The carbon from plants are transferred to an animal that eats the plant and the carbohydrates, fats and proteins are transferred as well.
- Carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere as animals do respiration. Any carbon left in the animals body is released when the decay micro - organisms respire.
- Carbon dioxide levels are increasing as we use more fossil fuels and scientist are worried that the carbon cycle can't cope.
- Fossils fuels also contain carbon which was locked away by the photo - synthesising organisms millions of years ago. This is released as carbon dioxide when it burnt.
- Plants and algae remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it for photosynthesis to make carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
- Decay processes
- Decay is needed in sewage treatment plants in order to make it safe for us to release our waste into rivers and seas. It is alse needed in compost heaps to decay plant waste.
- Detritus feeders start the process of decay by consuming the dead animals and producing waste material.
- Organisms called decomposers break down waste and dead animals/ plants.
- Bacteria and fungi consume the detritus feeders, dead animals and all their waste. They then release carbon dioxide, water and nutrients as waste.
- For decay to happen properly then the conditions have to be WARM, MOIST and OXYGEN RICH. This is so the enzymes work quickly, the micro -organisms don't dry out and they can do respiration.
- Energy tansfers
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