how does a grassland follow conservation of mass
2 answers
The law of conservation of matter and energy states that matter is neither created nor destroyed but conserved. So organisms consume other organisms the food they eat either will be stored for later use or broken down into energy. Whatever is left will become fecal material. Energy is never produced or destroyed it is used or stored. It can be stored as fats, carbohydrates or sugars. When organisms break them down into simpler structures energy is released.
Although both mass and energy are conserved here, there are no nuclear reactions so they are conserved separately and no mass is converted to energy (ignoring relativistic (E = m c^2) effects.
Carbon Dioxide from the air is used to create carbohydrates etc as Awesome pointed out. Other nutrients are withdrawn from the soil such as nitrogen compounds and must be replaced by fertilizer or legume type plants that fix nitrogen from the air. After plants die, their remains become sources of nitrates (fertilizer).
Carbon Dioxide from the air is used to create carbohydrates etc as Awesome pointed out. Other nutrients are withdrawn from the soil such as nitrogen compounds and must be replaced by fertilizer or legume type plants that fix nitrogen from the air. After plants die, their remains become sources of nitrates (fertilizer).