The first of the four, is the ecological pyramid. It shows the number of organisms in each of the trophic levels in an ecosystem. At the base of the levels are the producers and at the top of the pyramid are the final consumers. The second is the number pyramid. This also shows the number of organisms in each of the trophic levels but it does not take into consideration the size of each of the organism in the levels. This pyramid has four levels, starting from the bottom is the total number of producers, then the total number of herbivores, third the total number of small carnivores, and finally the total number of large carnivores. The third pyramid is the biomass pyramid. This pyramid is an indication of the total mass of organisms in the trophic levels. There are three levels of biomass in this pyramid. These are producers ( 470.0 g/m2), then herbivores (0.6 g/m2), and last the carnivores ( 0.1 g/m2). And it is possible for the second level to be greater than the third. Last, is the energy pyramid which indicates the total amount of energy that is in the trophic levels. It also is able to show the loss of energy between the trophic levels. The four levels in this pyramid are Producers, Primary consumers, Secondary consumers and at the top are the Tertiary consumers. As energy passes between the levels, such as from producers to primary consumers, much of the energy is lost due to waste and the conversion to heat energy.
The biomass of each organism decreases with each level. With less energy at higher trophic levels, there are usually fewer organisms as well. Organisms tend to be larger in size at higher trophic levels, but their smaller numbers result in less biomass. Biomass is the total mass of organisms at a trophic level.
Only about 10% of the energy is transferred between trophic levels, so if 100% is available at the lowest trophic level, then only about 10% of the original energy is available at the highest trophic level.
As we move up the energy pyramid, energy is lost at each trophic level through processes such as respiration, heat loss, and waste production. This results in less total energy being available at higher trophic levels compared to lower levels. This loss of energy is due to inefficiencies in energy transfer between trophic levels and the metabolic needs of organisms.
As trophic levels increase, the biomass of organisms generally decreases. This is because energy is lost as it moves up the food chain through trophic levels, with only a portion transferred to higher-level consumers. Consequently, the biomass available to support organisms at higher trophic levels is reduced.
In an ecological pyramid, biomass represents the total mass of living organisms within each trophic level. The 90 heat rule states that only about 10% of energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next, with the rest being lost as heat. Therefore, the biomass at a particular trophic level will be ten times greater than the biomass at the next higher trophic level, reflecting the loss of energy as heat through the different trophic levels.
Biomass is the total amount of organic matter present in any trophic level.
A food chain or food web illustrates the transfer of chemical energy between trophic levels in an ecosystem. It shows how energy is passed along from producers to consumers at different trophic levels, highlighting the flow of energy through the ecosystem.
Trophic mass refers to the total biomass within a specific trophic level in an ecosystem. It represents the combined weight of all organisms at that trophic level and is crucial for understanding energy flow and ecological relationships within food chains and food webs.
BIOMASS
Strontium has 4 energy levels or electron shells. It can hold up to 38 electrons in total across these levels.
An ecological pyramid is simply a graphical representation of the relationship at each trophic level in a particular ecosystem. There are three types of ecological pyramids: of numbers, of energy, and of biomass. For example the pyramid of numbers is a representation of the number of organisms in each trophic level, with herbivores at the bottom as primary consumers, followed by first level carnivores and so on.