Biomass questions???????????

Question

1. why is it more sensible to compare dry mass than wet mass in an ecosystem?

2.why is it not always possible to use dry mass whem measuring biomass

Answer 1

1.  The same type of plants in different environments can have different amounts of water, which would affect their weight.  Therefore, for a more accurate measure of biomass, the plants (usually just the above ground portion) are dried in an oven and then weighed.  

2.  Can you imagine chopping down a tree and trying to dry and weigh it?  Or how about grass?  For some plants, a dry biomass measurement is just not practicable.