B1.5 - Energy in biomass

B1.5 - Energy in biomass

1. Radiation from the Sun is the source of energy for most communities of living organisms.

2. Green plants and algae absorb a small amount of the light that reaches them. They transfer from light energy to chemical energy occurs during photosynthesis. This energy is stored in the substances that make up the cells of the plants.

3. The mass of living material (biomass) at each stage in a food chain is less than it was at the previous stage. The biomass at each stage can be drawn to scale and shown as a pyramid of biomass.

4. Materials decay because they are broken down (digested) by microorganisms. Microorganisms are more active and digest materials faster in warm, moist, aerobic conditions.

5. Living things remove materials from the environment for growth and other processes. These materials are returned to the environment either in waste materials or when living things die and decay.