AP Biologymediummcq1 pt
Why are biomass pyramids typically upright on land?
A.Energy loss makes higher levels' biomass smaller
B.Top predators are the heaviest animals
C.Producers grow slowly
D.Decomposers sit at the top
Explanation
Core Concept
Biomass usually declines toward higher trophic levels on land because only a fraction of the energy captured by organisms at one level becomes new biomass available to the next. Transfer efficiency varies rather than being fixed at exactly 10%. Biomass pyramids can also be inverted in some aquatic systems when rapidly reproducing producers maintain a small standing biomass despite high productivity.
Correct Answer
AEnergy loss makes higher levels' biomass smaller
More Unit 8: Ecology practice questions
- mediumWhich measurement estimates the rate at which primary producers add chemical energy to new biomass after subtracting the energy they use in …
- mediumWhich pair is an example of coevolution in a community?
- mediumIn a population at K with stable size, births + immigration
- hardFire suppression in a fire-adapted ecosystem can lead to
- hardThe main reservoir of carbon in Earth's long-term carbon cycle is
Practice more AP Biology questions with full explanations
Practice Unit 8: Ecology Questions →