Final answer:
Producers have the greatest biomass in the food chain. They use photosynthesis to create their own energy and form the basis of the food for all other trophic levels in the ecosystem. Biomass decreases from producers up through the higher trophic levels. a. The producers
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of an ecosystem and food chains, producers have the greatest biomass. Producers, such as plants and phytoplankton, are the foundational base of food chains and use photosynthesis to convert light energy into chemical energy. This not only provides them with energy but also forms the basis of the food for all other organisms in the ecosystem. An ecological pyramid model supports this, showing that biomass is greatest at the producer level and decreases as you move up to primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary consumers. Decomposers, in contrast, are not primary producers but play a vital role in recycling nutrients within the ecosystem. They consume dead matter from all trophic levels, but they do not have the highest biomass. Therefore, answer a. The producers have the greatest biomass in the food chain.