Question

The mass of living material at a trophic level at a particular time is called

• A. Standing crop
• B. Net primary productivity
• C. Gross primary productivity
• D. Standing state

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Standing crop

Explanation for correct answer

Option A:

1. A standing crop is the total amount of living material in a given population at a given time, expressed as biomass (permanent biomass) or its equivalent in terms of energy.
2. Permanent crops may change at different times of the year.
3. For example, the change in the population of deciduous trees between summer and winter.

Explanation for correct answer

Option B:

1. The rate at which plants absorb atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis is called net primary productivity.

Option C:

1. The rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time is called gross primary production (GPP)

Option D:

1. The number of inorganic nutrients present in an ecosystem is called a standing state.

Final answer: The mass of living material at a trophic level at a particular time is called standing crop.