Question

What is an ecological pyramid? Compare the pyramids of energy, biomass and numbers.

Answer 1

The ecological pyramid is the representation of the different organisms or trophic levels in a food chain in the form of a pyramid.

The pyramid of the number represents the number of organisms in a trophic level. The pyramid may be upright or inverted depending on the ecosystem.

The pyramid of biomass represents the biomass from all the members in the trophic level in a food chain. The pyramid is generally upright as there is decrease in te biomass with the increase in the trophic level.

The pyramid of energy represents the energy flow and the energy at every trophic level in a food chain. The pyramid of energy is always upright.