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The tundra biome is rapidly changing as a result of global warming. Studying the energy budget of the tundra can help scientists to evaluate the magnitude of these changes. In a randomly selected square meter of tundra, the amount of plant biomass is 200 g. The amount of new plant biomass added in a year is 100 g. In the same square meter, the total biomass added in a year is 15 g. A grasshopper that eats 1 g of plant biomass is able to use 0.15 g of that biomass for growth. The grasshopper cannot assimilate 50% of the plant's biomass.
-What is the maximum biomass of grasshoppers that could be supported by this square meter of tundra (i.e., if grasshoppers ate all of the existing vegetation)?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The grasshopper can assimilate 50% of the plant biomass it eats, so it can use 0.5 g of every 1 g of plant biomass. Out of this, only 0.15 g is used for growth. Therefore, the efficiency of converting plant biomass to grasshopper biomass is 0.15/0.5 = 0.3. With 200 g of plant biomass available, the maximum grasshopper biomass is 200 g * 0.3 = 60 g. However, since the question asks for the maximum biomass supported by the new plant biomass added in a year (100 g), the calculation should be 100 g * 0.3 = 30 g. But since the total biomass added in a year is 15 g, the maximum biomass of grasshoppers supported is 15 g.

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