Ecology
Biomass
The total mass of living organisms in a given area or ecosystem, typically expressed as dry weight per unit area. A measure of the amount of living material present.
Biological Context
Biomass decreases at higher trophic levels—there's more plant biomass than herbivore biomass than carnivore biomass. This pyramid reflects energy loss at each transfer. Forest biomass stores carbon; changes in biomass affect global carbon cycles and climate.