Question

Question

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)

Answer 1

The phenomenon of reduced biomass at the top of the food pyramid can be attributed to the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels. According to the 10% rule, only about 10% of the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next; the rest is lost as heat through metabolic processes. This inefficiency limits the number of individuals that can be supported at higher trophic levels like tertiary consumers, leading to fewer organisms compared to the numerous producers at the base of the pyramid. Additionally, plants, as primary producers, harness solar energy through photosynthesis, providing the foundational energy source that sustains the entire ecosystem.