High School

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The image shows an energy pyramid for a grassland ecosystem. The apex consumer is at the top, followed by the secondary consumer, primary consumer, and producers at the bottom. The apex consumer level of this ecosystem contains between 500 and 1000 kilograms of biomass. Which statement best describes the amount of biomass at the level of the primary producers?

A. Less than 50 kilograms, because producers contain less than ten percent of the biomass of apex consumers.
B. Between 50 and 500 kilograms, because apex consumers have a moderately greater biomass than producers have.
C. Between 500 and 1000 kilograms, because there are similar amounts of biomass at the producer and apex consumer levels of an ecosystem.
D. Much larger than 1000 kilograms, because a very high biomass of producers is required to support a smaller biomass of apex consumers.

Answer :

The best statement to describe the amount of biomass at the level of the primary producers is D. much larger than 1000 kilograms, because a very high biomass of producers is required to support a smaller biomass of apex consumers.

The energy pyramid shows the distribution of energy and biomass across different trophic levels, starting from producers at the bottom to apex consumers at the top. A key point here is that energy and biomass decrease as one moves up the trophic levels because of the low efficiency of energy transfer between levels.

Considering that the apex consumers have between 500 and 1000 kilograms of biomass, we can determine the biomass at the level of the primary producers using the concept that each trophic level gets only about 10% of the energy/biomass from the level below it. This rule implies that to support the biomass of apex consumers, the lower levels will need significantly more biomass.

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Rewritten by : Barada

Final answer:

The statement that best describes the amount of biomass at the level of the primary producers in the given energy pyramid is A. less than 50 kilograms, because producers contain less than ten percent of the biomass of apex consumers.

Explanation:

In an energy pyramid, the biomass and energy decrease as we move up the trophic levels. The primary producers, such as plants, have the highest biomass in the ecosystem. However, the apex consumers, who are at the top of the food chain, have a much higher biomass compared to the primary producers. The biomass at the producer level is typically less than 10% of the biomass at the apex consumer level.

In this case, if the apex consumer level contains between 500 and 1000 kilograms of biomass, it is reasonable to assume that the biomass at the producer level would be less than 50 kilograms. Therefore the correct answer is A. less than 50 kilograms, because producers contain less than ten percent of the biomass of apex consumers.