The mass of living organisms at a particular time at each trophic level is called ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Standing crop
Option (1) Carrying capacity — Incorrect. Carrying capacity is the largest population a habitat can support.
Option (2) Standing state — Incorrect. Standing state is the amount of nutrients in the soil at a given time.
Option (3) Standing crop — Correct. Of the options, only standing crop names the living mass at a trophic level; standing state is used for nutrients in the soil.
Option (4) Gross primary productivity — Incorrect. Gross primary productivity (GPP) is the rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis, not the mass present at one time.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 20-05-2026 (Slot 1), and in CUET (UG) 2023 on 25-05-2023 (Slot 3).
NCERT Extract:
Energy Flow – “… Each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time called as the standing crop. The standing crop is measured as the mass of living organisms (biomass) or the number in a unit area. The biomass of a species is expressed in terms of fresh or dry weight. Measurement of biomass in terms of dry weight is more accurate.”