Biomass
What is biomass in ecology?
Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms, plants or animals.
Info from BBC Bitesize
Pyramids of biomassBiomass means the mass of living material at a stage in a food chain. Biomass decreases from one stage to the next, just like the amount of energy.
A pyramid of biomassA pyramid of biomass is a chart, drawn to scale, showing the biomass at each stage in a food chain. The bars become narrower as you reach the top. This pyramid of biomass is for the food chain:
oak tree → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk
Note that you do not need to draw the organisms but you must draw your pyramid of biomass to scale. Each bar should be labelled with the name of the organism. In your examination, you will not be asked to draw a pyramid of numbers.
A pyramid of biomassA pyramid of biomass is a chart, drawn to scale, showing the biomass at each stage in a food chain. The bars become narrower as you reach the top. This pyramid of biomass is for the food chain:
oak tree → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk
Note that you do not need to draw the organisms but you must draw your pyramid of biomass to scale. Each bar should be labelled with the name of the organism. In your examination, you will not be asked to draw a pyramid of numbers.