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.
The lower biomass at the top of the food pyramid can be attributed to the concept of energy flow in ecosystems. Producers, such as plants, are able to capture sunlight energy and convert it into organic molecules through photosynthesis, resulting in a high rate of primary production. This energy is then transferred to herbivores when they consume the producers, and subsequently to carnivores when they consume the herbivores. The transfer of energy between trophic levels is not 100% efficient, as energy is lost as metabolic heat or used for growth and maintenance. This inefficient energy transfer results in a decrease in available energy at higher trophic levels, leading to a lower biomass of tertiary consumers.
make it short
The lower biomass at the top of the food pyramid is due to the inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels. Plants, as producers, have high primary production and transfer energy to herbivores. As energy is lost in each transfer, there is less energy available for tertiary consumers, resulting in fewer individuals.
