Question

How is the pyramid of biomass in oceans inverted? Does it not go against the basic law of conservation of mass?

Answer 1

The biomass pyramid is inverted in water:

1. The amount of live organic material is referred to as biomass.
2. A figure that compares the biomass of various trophic levels within an ecosystem is called a biomass pyramid.
3. It illustrates the vast number of producers needed to satisfy even the most basic demands.
4. The biomass pyramid in the water is inverted because the amount of biomass is the least at the base of the pyramid and the greatest at the pinnacle of the pyramid.
5. The first trophic level is made up of producers, which are phytoplankton with the least biomass.
6. Whereas the last trophic level is made up of predators, which are fish with the most biomass.

The basic law of conservation of mass:

1. The Law of conservation of mass states that energy can neither be created nor can be destroyed.
2. An inverted biomass pyramid does not contradict mass conservation because biomass is the amount of living stuff at a certain tropic level at a given moment.