The correct answer is: D. increase continuously.
Ecological succession is the process by which an ecosystem changes over time. It is a gradual process that can take thousands of years to complete. The first stage of succession is the pioneer community. This is a community of plants and animals that are able to live in harsh conditions. The pioneer community is followed by the intermediate community. This is a community of plants and animals that are able to live in slightly less harsh conditions. The final stage of succession is the climax community. This is a community of plants and animals that are able to live in the most stable conditions.
The biomass of an ecosystem is the total mass of living organisms in that ecosystem. The biomass of an ecosystem increases during succession. This is because the pioneer community is followed by the intermediate community, which is followed by the climax community. Each of these communities has a higher biomass than the previous community.
The biomass of an ecosystem increases during succession because the environment becomes more stable. The pioneer community is able to live in harsh conditions, but the intermediate community is able to live in slightly less harsh conditions. The climax community is able to live in the most stable conditions. As the environment becomes more stable, more plants and animals are able to live in the ecosystem. This increases the biomass of the ecosystem.
The following are the explanations of each option:
- Option A: The biomass of an ecosystem decreases during succession. This is not true because the biomass of an ecosystem increases during succession.
- Option B: There is no relation between the biomass of an ecosystem and succession. This is not true because the biomass of an ecosystem increases during succession.
- Option C: The biomass of an ecosystem increases and then decreases during succession. This is not true because the biomass of an ecosystem increases continuously during succession.
- Option D: The biomass of an ecosystem increases continuously during succession. This is true because the biomass of an ecosystem increases during succession.