Lesson 4.7.4.2

4.7.4.2 Pyramids of biomass Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.7.4.2, Pyramids of biomass: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Unit 7: Ecology, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What does each tier in a pyramid of biomass represent?

    • Amount of rainfall
    • Rate of photosynthesis
    • Total organism count
    • Relative biomass amount

  2. Where is trophic level 1 placed in a pyramid of biomass?

    • On one side
    • At the top
    • At the bottom
    • In the middle

  3. What variable is represented by the width of each bar in a pyramid of biomass?

    • Biomass
    • Lifespan
    • Body length
    • Organism numbers

  4. Which unit is suitable for expressing biomass at a trophic level?

    • Kilograms
    • Hertz
    • Degrees Celsius
    • Metres per second

  5. What is the typical shape of a pyramid of biomass for a food chain?

    • Narrows upwards
    • Straight column
    • Inverted pyramid
    • Widest at top

  6. Which trophic level usually has the largest biomass?

    • Producers (level 1)
    • Apex predators
    • Tertiary consumers
    • Decomposers only

  7. Which trophic level usually contains the smallest total biomass in a pyramid?

    • Trophic level 1
    • Primary consumer level
    • Producer level
    • Top level

  8. What is the definition of biomass in an ecosystem?

    • Respiration rate
    • Living material mass
    • Total land area
    • Number of species

  9. If biomass decreases at each higher trophic level, what shape is formed?

    • Narrows upwards
    • Straight column
    • Inverted pyramid
    • Widest at top

  10. Which group of organisms forms the bottom layer of a pyramid of biomass?

    • Apex predators
    • Producers
    • Primary consumers
    • Secondary consumers

  11. A pond pyramid has algae at 1,200 kg and zooplankton at 120 kg. What is zooplankton's biomass as a percentage of algae?

    • 12%
    • 1%
    • 10%
    • 100%

  12. Why is a pyramid of biomass incorrect if level 2 is wider than level 1?

    • Energy increases upwards
    • Biomass decreases upwards
    • Producers eat consumers
    • Level 1 sits top

  13. Approximately what percentage of biomass is transferred to the next trophic level?

    • 10%
    • 90%
    • 1%
    • 50%

  14. In a food chain of oak tree to caterpillar to bird, which level is widest?

    • Oak tree
    • Caterpillar
    • All equal width
    • Bird

  15. A field has producers at 2 tonnes and primary consumers at 0.2 tonnes. What is the transfer percentage?

    • 1%
    • 10%
    • 20%
    • 0.2%

  16. Where is the highest trophic level placed in a pyramid of biomass?

    • At the top
    • In the middle
    • On the side
    • At the bottom

  17. Producers have 40,000 kg of biomass and primary consumers 3,000 kg. What is the percentage transferred?

    • 75%
    • 10%
    • 13.3%
    • 7.5%

  18. Why can a pyramid of numbers for an oak tree be inverted?

    • Insects lack mass
    • One large producer
    • Leaves lack biomass
    • Biomass increases upwards

  19. Why do food chains rarely contain more than four or five trophic levels?

    • Producers run out
    • Biomass is lost
    • Organisms get smaller
    • Toxins accumulate

  20. Producers hold 25,000 kg and primary consumers hold 2,500 kg. If 10% of the primary consumer biomass passes on to secondary consumers, what is the secondary consumer biomass?

    • 2,250 kg
    • 25 kg
    • 2,500 kg
    • 250 kg

All AQA Biology quizzes