What shape does the biomass pyramid take due to the inefficiency of energy transfer?
Answer
Widest at the bottom (producers) and tapering sharply toward the top.
The biomass pyramid reflects the energy loss constraint; because energy is lost at every transfer, the greatest biomass is found at the lowest trophic levels (producers), leading to a sharp tapering shape towards the top.
Related Questions
How is the passage of energy through living components characterized?What process do producers use to convert radiant energy into stored chemical energy?What term describes the energy available to the next trophic level after producers account for their own energy needs?What specific role do primary consumers fulfill in a food chain?What is the primary advantage of modeling energy flow using a food web over a simple food chain?For what reason is a significant portion of consumed energy lost between trophic levels?According to the Rule of Ten, what percentage of energy from one trophic level is successfully incorporated into the biomass of the organisms at the next level?What characteristic explains why food webs rarely have more than four or five trophic levels?What is the major ecological contribution of decomposers regarding matter?What shape does the biomass pyramid take due to the inefficiency of energy transfer?