Cabbage leaves are eaten by caterpillars. A student kept 800 g of cabbage leaves and 15 caterpillars in a ventilated container for three weeks. The student recorded the mass of the cabbage leaves and the total mass of the caterpillars at both the start and the end of the three weeks.
| Mass in grams at start | Mass in grams at end | |
|---|---|---|
| Cabbage leaves | 800 | 150 |
| Caterpillars | 50 | 110 |
Explain why the decrease in mass of the cabbage leaves is much greater than the increase in mass of the caterpillars.
