Name: The Different Trophic Levels in the Ecosystem
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 2 min 6 s
Description: The feeding positions in a food chain or web are called trophic levels. Trophic levels are the feeding positions of all organisms in a specific ecosystem

Question

&ldquo;It is often said that the pyramid of energy is always upright. On the other hand, the pyramid of biomass can be both upright and inverted". Explain with the help of examples and sketches.

Accepted Answer

Pyramid of energy:
The energy pyramid is always upright because the distribution of energy decreases at each successive trophic level as we move up from producers to the consumers at higher trophic levels and the flow of energy is always unidirectional. The energy transfer occurs according to the 10% law which states that only 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next and the remaining energy is lost to the surroundings in the form of heat.

For example, Sunlight is the major source of energy that is captured by the plants and converted into chemical energy by the process of photosynthesis. Thus, producers have maximum energy and from them, the energy is transferred to subsequent trophic levels.

Pyramid of biomass:
The pyramid of biomass depicts the total weight or mass of organic matter present in each trophic level. The shape of this pyramid can be upright or inverted. The shape of this pyramid can be upright or inverted.
For example, this pyramid is upright in case of a grassland ecosystem where the producers at the base level have the maximum biomass. An inverted pyramid of biomass is generally seen in pond ecosystems where the producers are tiny phytoplanktons with negligible biomass and consumers at the higher trophic levels are comparatively larger organisms.

“It is often said that the pyramid of energy is always upright. On the other hand, the pyramid of biomass can be both upright and inverted". Explain with the help of examples and sketches.

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