Question
A young snake eats and digests a mouse. The increase in the snake's mass equals
A. only the mass of the mouse
B. the mass of the mouse minus the mass of waste produced by the snake
C. the mass of the mouse plus the mass of the waste produced by the snake
D. the mass of the mouse plus the original mass of the snake
A. only the mass of the mouse
B. the mass of the mouse minus the mass of waste produced by the snake
C. the mass of the mouse plus the mass of the waste produced by the snake
D. the mass of the mouse plus the original mass of the snake
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **B. the mass of the mouse minus the mass of waste produced by the snake**.
When a snake eats a mouse, it assimilates nutrients and energy from the mouse to grow, but it also produces waste. Therefore, the actual increase in the mass of the snake is equal to the mass of the mouse consumed minus the mass of any waste that is eliminated.
When a snake eats a mouse, it assimilates nutrients and energy from the mouse to grow, but it also produces waste. Therefore, the actual increase in the mass of the snake is equal to the mass of the mouse consumed minus the mass of any waste that is eliminated.