Asked by jayden

The diagram below shows the flow of nutrients and matter in a prairie ecosystem.


When a garter snake consumes a mouse, what happens to the organic matter that made up the mouse's body?
A.
It changes form.
B.
It leaves the ecosystem.
C.
It is destroyed.
D.
It becomes more massive.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
A. It changes form.

When the snake eats the mouse, the mouse's organic molecules are transformed into snake tissue, metabolic waste, and carbon dioxide (from respiration). Matter is conserved and recycled in the ecosystem — it isn’t destroyed or necessarily lost.