The typical energy pyramid has three levels: the producer level, the consumer level, and the decomposer level. This pyramid is always in an upright form since it signifies the flow of energy within a food chain, something that is always unidirectional. This pyramid shows the flow of energy that is in the direction of the consumers and comes from the producers. As a result, the level of the pyramid that has the least biomass is at the top of the pyramid. The next level of primary consumers have lesser biomass than the producers and similarly, the secondary consumers have lesser biomass than the primary consumers. The producers or the autotrophs have the highest level of biomass in this pyramid. This pyramid is usually upright except for exceptional cases like the marine ecosystem where the number of phytoplanktons is lesser than the number of zooplanktons that depend on them. This ecological pyramid takes into consideration the amount of biomass that is produced at each trophic level as it adds to the pyramid. This hierarchical system completes the above diagram.Įcological pyramids can be of three kinds. At the next step, the energy goes to the secondary consumers who eat the primary consumers. The flow of energy in an ecological pyramid is from bottom to top, which means energy from the autotrophs, who are also the primary producers, goes to the primary consumers, meaning those who consume these plants. The pyramid ideally shows who is consumed by whom, while also showing the order in which the energy flows. The ecological pyramid is also used to explain how various organisms in an ecosystem are related to one another. This is followed by the next level in the pyramid, belonging to the secondary and tertiary consumers. The next level of the pyramid is occupied by primary consumers. The bottom of the pyramid, which is also the broadest part is occupied by the ones at the first trophic level, that is the producers. The ecological pyramid is also often known as the energy pyramid. The theory of ecological pyramid was suggested by Raymond Linderman and G.Evylen Hutchinson. The pyramid is formed on the basis of the number of organisms, energy and biomass, and just like the name suggests, these are shaped in the form of a pyramid. The graphical representation of the relationship between various living beings at various trophic levels within a food chain is called an ecological pyramid. The different types of ecological pyramids are based on how much energy or biomass is available to each trophic level. The herbivores or the primary consumers come at the second, small carnivores or the secondary consumers at the third, and larger carnivores or the tertiary consumers form the fourth trophic level. They fix up the solar energy and make it available for heterotrophs or the consumers.
The autotrophs or the producers are at the first trophic level. Each step or level of the food chain forms a trophic level. The biomass is distributed according to the number of individual organisms in each trophic level.
An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation of the distribution of biomass or energy within an ecosystem.
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