A pyramid of biomass, an aspen tree in northern boreal forest. How are so few producers able to support so many primary consumers
The reason so few producers, such as aspen trees, are able to support so many primary consumers in a pyramid of biomass lies in the efficiency of energy transfer within the ecosystem.
Producers, like the aspen tree, are able to capture sunlight and convert it into organic matter through photosynthesis. This organic matter contains stored energy, which is then transferred to the primary consumers that eat the plants.
However, as energy is transferred up the food chain from producers to primary consumers, there is a loss of energy due to metabolic processes and heat production. This means that only a fraction of the energy contained in the organic matter of the plants is actually transferred to the primary consumers.
As a result, a large number of primary consumers can be sustained by a relatively small amount of producers, because the energy that is transferred up the food chain is an efficient use of the available energy in the ecosystem. This is why the pyramid of biomass, with a large base of producers supporting a smaller number of primary consumers, is able to exist in nature.