Saturday, November 15, 2008

What are ecological pyramids? Describe the different types of ecological pyramids.

We can compare the trophic levels(describing an organisms position in the food chain) in the food chain with the help of ecological pyramids. There is the pyramid of numbers which allow us to compare the number of organisms present in each trophic level at a particular time. There is also the pyramid of biomass which allow us to compare the mass organisms present in each trophic level at any one time. It is called the standing mass of organisms. Lastly, there is the pyramid of energy. It can represent the total energy in the various trophic levels of a food chain. Unlike the pyramid of biomass, we need to determine the total energy content over a period of time.

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