How is the law of conservation of mass applied to ecology?

Sample Response: The law of conservation of mass states that the total amount of mass remains constant in a system. In ecology, this means that when an organism is eaten, its mass is conserved. Some of the organism’s mass is used to make new proteins, and some of it is passed as waste in the form of urine or feces. The rest is converted directly into energy. This energy helps the consumer to move and grow, and it helps it to build and repair new tissue.