In a food pyramid, there is typically less biomass at the top (i.e., there are very few individual tertiary consumers, whereas there are numerous individual producers). In three to five sentences, explain this phenomenon, citing evidence relating to energy flow and how plants support ecosystems.(4 points)

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Answer 1

In a food pyramid, the amount of biomass decreases as you move from producers at the base to tertiary consumers at the top due to the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels. Only about 10% of the energy is passed from one level to the next, resulting in less biomass at higher levels. For instance, producers like plants capture solar energy through photosynthesis and convert it into biomass, supporting numerous herbivores, which in turn support fewer carnivores. This pyramid shape illustrates how energy loss limits the number of organisms at higher trophic levels, reinforcing the foundational role of plants in sustaining ecosystems.