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.
This is for Connexus, 7th Grade Science class.
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In a food pyramid, there is less biomass at the top because energy is lost as it passes through each level. Plants, as primary producers, transform sunlight into usable energy through photosynthesis, making them the foundation of most ecosystems. As the energy moves from one trophic level to the next, about 90% of the energy is lost, meaning there is not enough energy to support a large number of consumers at higher trophic levels. Therefore, there are only a few individual tertiary consumers at the top of the food chain. This also emphasizes the important role that plants play in supporting ecosystems.
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