Ecological pyramids
Ecological pyramids depict the interconnections among various ecosystem components across consecutive trophic levels.
Pyramid of numbers:
1. The pyramid of numbers visually represents the numerical relationships between producers, herbivores, and carnivores across trophic levels.
2. As we ascend trophic levels, the organisms’ numbers decrease; for instance, grasses outnumber herbivores, and herbivores outnumber carnivores.
3. Producers, like grass, have the highest numbers, followed by primary consumers (herbivores), and then secondary consumers (carnivores).
4. The top-level consumers have the fewest numbers, illustrating the upright nature of this pyramid.
3.pyramids of biomass:
1. Pyramids of biomass are built by accounting for the varying biomass at each trophic level.
2. In ocean ecosystems, the biomass pyramid is inverted due to the higher biomass of fishes compared to phytoplankton.