Food chains, biomass and energy

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  • Food Chains, Biomass and Energy
    • Producers/ green plants make their own food (photosynthesis)
      • Absorb light energy from the sun and transfer it to chemical energy.
        • This energy is stored in the substances that make up the cells of the plants
    • Biomass decreases at each stage of the food chain
      • Pyramid of biomass will always be pyramid shape
      • Biomass decreases because energy is lost at each stage eg as waste materials(faeces and urine) and through respiration
        • energy released by respiration is used for movement and other life processes, and is eventually lost as heat to the surroundings
    • Decay- microorganisms break down (digest) materials
      • Occurs best in moist, warm and aerobic conditions- microorganisms are fastest
    • Living things remove materials from the environment for growth and other processes
      • This is returned to the environment as waste materials or when they die
    • In a stable community, the processes that remove materials are balanced by processes that return materials. The materials are constantly cycled.

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