Biology/biology/environmental science
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Question
im currently doing e.science for AS and i have a question im quite stuck on! i understand what biomass is but how do you calculate it when you're given; number of individuals (km2) and mass of individuals (kg)? also from that, how do you calculate mean mass of individual when you have the biomass and numbers of individuals? thankx!
Thanks for using AllExperts, Millie. I realize that this response is late, but we're on a push here to clear out the question pool and I wanted to make sure that you got a response to this question.
To calculate the biomass given (number of individuals)/(km^2) and mass/individuals, you solve it as follows:
(number of individuals/km^2) *(mass/individual)
The result you get is mass/area, which is the generally accepted way of measuring biomass. It is also often measured per square kilometer, so there is no need to convert from square kilometers to square meters (though if you wanted to, you would use the conversion 1 km^2= 10^5 m^2).
If you have area (km^2) and mass (kg), you simply divide the mass by the area to find biomass.
Finally, if you have the total biomass and number of individuals, you solve
(total biomass)/(number of individuals)
to find the mean individual mass.
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Answers by Expert:
John Locke
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I will answer all biology-related questions through the undergraduate level. I will explain unclear concepts and suggest approaches to solving problems, but would prefer not to completely solve homework problems for you. If you are completely stumped on homework, tell me what you already know and I will help you as much as possible. Please do not ask me for ideas on school research projects; part of research is determining a suitable area of investigation, and that's not a task that should be completed by someone else. Please don't simply send me your homework for solutions. If you are having difficulty after you have started an analysis, I will be happy to direct your thinking; in particular, I would prefer to not simply solve pedigrees for students, but I will be happy to assist in solving pedigrees that you have already started. If you don't understand how to analyze a pedigree, I'd highly recommend watching this video, in which a biology professor explains the basic concepts of pedigree analysis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbIHjsn5cHo
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I have a BS in Bioengineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering (which included a heavy focus on biology), and have taught biology, biochemistry, and related subjects for some time now.
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BS Bioengineering, Penn State University
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