Question

according to the law of conservation of mass, in any food chain we know that
a the quantity of matter in producers and consumers is always equal.
b matter is created at the start of a food web and destroyed in the end.
c matter is changed into various forms but the total quantity remains unchanged.
d the amount of matter increases as the food web progresses from the producers to the consumers.

Explanation:

The law of conservation of mass states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. In a food chain, matter cycles through producers, consumers, and decomposers—changing forms (e.g., carbon as glucose in plants to carbon dioxide during respiration) but maintaining total quantity. Option A is wrong because producer and consumer matter quantities aren’t equal. Option B contradicts the law (no creation/destruction). Option D is wrong because matter doesn’t increase; energy decreases, but matter cycles.

Answer:

C. matter is changed into various forms but the total quantity remains unchanged.