What Is an Energy Pyramid?
Quick Answer
An energy pyramid is a graphical representation of how energy flows in an ecosystem The pyramid consists of trophic, or nutritional, levels. It shows how energy decreases and becomes less available for organisms as it enters every trophic level, as well as the amount of energy lost to the atmosphere in the form of heat.
Continue ReadingFull Answer
The energy pyramid is in an upright position, because energy loss always occurs in every trophic level. The food pyramid shows how chemical energy decreases as organisms consume it. There are smaller amounts of useful energy that reach the top, and energy is ultimately lost as heat.
Energy must be available and transferred for an ecosystem to function. Living things constantly invest energy to survive. By deriving energy from the sun, organisms produce food through photosynthesis. Different levels in the pyramid represent different groups of organisms that comprise a food chain. From the bottom to the top, the energy pyramid consists of producers who provide energy from nonliving sources, primary consumers who are herbivores that eat the producers, secondary consumers who are carnivores that eat the primary consumers and tertiary consumers who eat the secondary consumers. The consumers at the top of the pyramid have the least energy, that’s why they have relatively few numbers in most communities.
Learn more about Environmental ScienceRelated Questions
-
Q:
What Does a Biomass Pyramid Represent?
A: A biomass pyramid is a graphical representation of the comparative masses of consumers and foods at different trophic levels. The name biomass pyramid come... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What Is the Definition of an Ecological Pyramid?
A: An ecological pyramid is a graphical model that illustrates the flow of energy through different forms of life in an ecosystem. The bottom level illustrate... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How Does Matter Move Through an Ecosystem?
A: Matter moves through an ecosystem through the recycling of energy and nutrients between different trophic levels. The first trophic level consists of prima... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What Effects Does Kudzu Have on the Ecosystem?
A: In addition to overtaking and replacing native plants in an ecosystem, kudzu can alter the nitrogen balance of the soil and release dangerous ozone into th... Full Answer >Filed Under:
You May Also Like
-
Q:
What Can Be Done to Stop the Greenhouse Effect?
-
Q:
What Biome Has the Greatest Biodiversity?
-
Q:
What Is Solar Energy?
-
Q:
What Are Some of the Abiotic Factors That Influence Regeneration in a Tropical Dry Rain Forest?
-
Q:
How Does Acid Precipitation Affect Ecosystems?
-
Q:
What Are Macro Environmental Factors ?
