The diagram shows the numbers and biomass of organisms in a food chain - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 6 - 2013 - Paper 1

Energy is lost between trophic levels through processes such as:

• Excretion: Waste products released by organisms represent energy lost.
• Not all of the organism is eaten: Some mass remains undigested and is not transferred to the next level.
• Respiration: Energy is used for metabolic processes, releasing heat that is not captured as biomass.
• Movement: Energy is expended while searching for food or escaping predators.

The pyramid of biomass for this food chain can be represented as follows:

    |         
    |  1000   
    |---------  Ladybirds (200)
    |         
    |  1000   
    |---------  Aphids (10,000)
    |         
    | 500000   
    |---------  Oak Tree (1)

The process in which plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is called photosynthesis.

Recycling paper and plastics can provide several environmental benefits:

1. Reduction of Deforestation: Recycling paper reduces the demand for cutting down trees, which helps to maintain habitats for wildlife and reduces carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

2. Less Waste in Landfills: Using recycled materials means less waste is sent to landfills, allowing more space for organic waste that cannot be recycled.

3. Decreased Pollution: Recycling helps reduce pollution associated with producing new materials, including air and water pollution from manufacturing processes.

4. Conservation of Resources: Recycling plastics reduces the need for fossil fuels to produce new plastic products, conserving these resources for future generations.

5. Less Energy Consumption: Recycling generally uses less energy than producing new products from raw materials, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

6. Economic Benefits: Recycling creates jobs in sorting, processing, and selling recyclable materials, contributing to local economies.