B2: Pyramids of Biomass

Pyramids of biomass reveal the mass of living material at each stage in a food chain

The amount of material and energy decreases at each stage of the food chain

Radiation from the sun is the source of energy for most living organisms

To improve the efficiency of a pyramid of biomass or food chain the number of stages could be reduced

e.g.

from: grass, rabbit, stoat, fox

to: grass, rabbit, fox

OR restricting the amount of energy lost by each animal in the food chain

e.g. controlling the animals movement and the surrounding temperature

Energy is lost through:

• respiration
• waste material e.g. faeces and urine
• movement
• heat

Managing food production = reducing movement and controlling temperature to improve efficiency e.g. battery hens

Advantages of managing food production:

• cheap animal produce available e.g. eggs, meat
• farmers can own many animals and earn a good living
• do not take up a lot of space if all restricted from movement
• limiting movement increases the animals size quicker

Disadvantages of managing food production:

• animals are kept in poor conditions
• many animals die before they are sold
• many suffer health problems