Question

Trophic Pyramid

Describe the three types of ecological in detail. Draw a Sample energy pyramid and label each trophic level. Provide an organism that could exit at each level. Example why the available at the top level of the pyramid in a small percentage of the energy at the bottom of the pyramid

Answer 1

An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation of the relationship between the different living organisms at different trophic levels. Trophic pyramid, also called an energy pyramid, shows the progression of food energy. All biological communities have a basic structure of interaction that forms a trophic pyramid. The higher the organism is on the trophic pyramid, the lower the amount of available energy. Thus, the energy will decrease when it moves from lower trophic level to higher trophic level. In terrestrial communities, multicellular plants generally form the base of the pyramid, whereas in freshwater lakes a combination of multicellular plants and single-celled algae constitute the first trophic level. The trophic structure of the ocean is built on plankton, specifically phytoplankton. Zooplankton, such as krill, also play important roles, both as consumers of phytoplankton and as food for a wide variety of marine animals.

Top levels of pyramids have less anount of energy because the pyramid base contains producers, organisms that make their own food from inorganic substances and all other organisms in the pyramid are consumers. The consumers at each level feed on organisms from the level below and are themselves consumed by organisms at the level above. The animals at each level use energy to power the normal activities of life, so most of the food energy that enters a trophic level is lost as heat attributed to activities and only a small amount of their energy is available to the next level. At each trophic level only a small proportion of energy (approximately 10 percent) is transferred to the next level

For example, plants and other autotrophs (primary producers) convert only a fraction of the enormous amount of solar energy they have access to into food energy. Herbivores and detritivores (primary consumers) take in less available energy because they are limited by the biomass of the plants they devour. It follows that the carnivores (secondary consumers) that feed on herbivores and detritivores and those that eat other carnivores (tertiary consumers) have the lowest amount of energy available to them.

Ecological pyramids can be inverted or upright and are of three types which, depict biomass, energy, and the number of organisms in each trophic level.

Pyramid of Numbers

In this type of ecological pyramid, the number of organisms in each trophic level is considered as a level in the pyramid. Successive links of trophic structure decrease rapidly in number until there are very few carnivores at the top. The lake ecosystem provides a typical example for pyramid of number. The pyramid of numbers is usually upright with few exception.

Pyramid of Biomass

Each level takes into account the amount of biomass produced by each trophic level. Pyramid of biomass indicates decrease of biomass in each tropical level from base to apex. For example, the total biomass of the producers ingested by herbivores is more than the total biomass of the herbivores in an ecosystem. Likewise, the total biomass of the primary carnivores (or secondary consumer) will be less man the herbivores and so on. The pyramid of biomass is also upright with few exception

Pyramid of Energy

Pyramid of energy is the only type of ecological pyramid, which is always upright as the energy flow in a food chain is always unidirectional. Also, with every increasing trophic level, some energy is lost into the environment. When production is considered in terms of energy, the pyramid indicates not only the amount of energy flow at each level, but more important, the actual role the various organisms play in the transfer of energy. An energy pyramid illustrates how much energy is needed as it flows upwards to support the next trophic level. In cases such as in open water communities the producers have less bulk than consumers but the energy they store and pass on must be greater than that of the next level.

Energy pyramid diagram is as follows

Attached

Energy flow and heat loss occurring at various trophic levels

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