Answer:
C. Matter is stored in a trophic level, transferred to another trophic level, or released as waste
Step-by-step explanation:
Matter is stored in a trophic level, transferred to another trophic level, or released as waste. A trophic level is a level of an ecosystem that consists of organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy. For example, producers, such as plants and algae, are the first trophic level; primary consumers, such as herbivores, are the second trophic level; secondary consumers, such as carnivores, are the third trophic level; and so on. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, such as atoms and molecules. Matter cycles through an ecosystem in various forms, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and water. Matter is not created or destroyed in an ecosystem, but it can change forms and locations. Matter can be stored in the bodies of organisms or in abiotic components of the ecosystem, such as soil, water, or air. Matter can be transferred from one trophic level to another when one organism consumes another organism or when one organism decomposes another organism. Matter can also be released as waste when organisms excrete or respire. Therefore, matter is constantly moving and transforming in an ecosystem, but it is conserved in terms of mass and energy.