ECOLOGICAL

PYRAMID
VANSHAM &
SHEHZAD
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

‘’
INTODUCTION
HISTORY
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
Instead of controlling TYPES OF PYRAMIDS
the environment for the
benefit of the PYRAMID OF ENERGY
population, maybe we PYRAMID OF BIOMASS
should control the
population to ensure PYRAMID OF NUMBERS
the survival of our
USES OF ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
environment
LIMITATIONS OF ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
– David Attenborough
INTRODUCTION

An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid, Eltonian pyramid, energy pyramid,

or sometimes food pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the
biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.
History

The concept of pyramid of numbers ("Eltonian pyramid") was developed by

Charles Elton (1927). Later, it would also be expressed in terms of biomass by
Bodenheimer (1938).The idea of pyramid of productivity or energy relies on
works of G. Evelyn Hutchinson and Raymond Lindeman (1942).

Charles Elton G. Evelyn Hutchinson Raymond Lindeman

Ecological Pyramids

Ecological pyramids begin with producers on the

bottom (such as plants) and proceed through
the various trophic levels (such as herbivores
that eat plants, then carnivores that eat flesh,
then omnivores that eat both plants and flesh).
The highest level is the top of the food chain.
The base of a pyramid is broad and it narrows
towards the apex. The base of each pyramid
represents the producers or the first trophic level while the apex represents
tertiary or top-level consumer.
Types of Pyramids

The three ecological pyramids that are usually studied are

(a) pyramid of energy
(b) pyramid of biomass
(c) pyramid of number
A given organism may occupy more than one trophic level simultaneously. One
must remember that the trophic level represents a functional level, not a species as
such; for example, a sparrow is a primary consumer when it eats seeds, fruits,
peas, and a secondary consumer when it eats insects and worms.
Pyramid of Energy

A pyramid of energy or pyramid of productivity shows the production or

turnover (the rate at which energy or mass is transferred from one trophic level to
the next) of biomass at each trophic level. Instead of showing a single snapshot in
time
Energy at a lower trophic level is always more than at a higher level.
Energy usually enters ecosystems from the Sun. The primary producers at the
base of the pyramid use the solar radiation to power photosynthesis which
produces food
When an ecosystem is healthy, this graph produces a standard ecological pyramid.
An ideal pyramid of
energy. Observe that

‘’
primary producers
convert only 1% of the
energy in the sunlight
available to them into
NPP
Pyramid of Biomass

Pyramid of biomass shows the relationship between biomass and trophic level
by quantifying the biomass present at each trophic level of an ecological
community at a particular time. It is a graphical representation of biomass (total
amount of living or organic matter in an ecosystem) present in unit area in
different trophic levels. Typical units are grams per square meter, or calories
per square meter.
There are exceptions to this generalisation: In a aquatic ecosystem, the standing
crop of phytoplankton, the major producers, at any given point will be lower than
the mass of the heterotrophs, such as fish and insects. This is explained as the
phytoplankton reproduce very quickly, but have much shorter individual lives.
The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally inverted.
Pyramid of biomass
shows a sharp decrease

‘’
in biomass at higher
trophic levels

Inverted pyramid of
biomass-small standing
crop of phytoplankton
supports large standing
crop of zooplankton
Pyramid of Numbers

A pyramid of numbers shows graphically the population, or abundance, in terms

of the number of individual organisms involved at each level in a food chain. This
shows the number of organisms in each trophic level without any consideration
for their individual sizes or biomass.
The pyramid is not necessarily upright. For example, it will be inverted if
beetles are feeding from the output of forest trees, or grasshoppers are feeding on
large host animals.
 ‘’
Pyramid of Numbers
Uses of Ecological Pyramids

An ecological pyramid not only shows us the feeding patterns of organisms in

different ecosystems, but can also give us an insight into how inefficient energy
transfer is, and show the influence that a change in numbers at one trophic level
can have on the trophic levels above and below it.
Also, when data are collected over the years, the effects of the changes that take
place in the environment on the organisms can be studied by comparing the data.
If an ecosystem’s conditions are found to be worsening over the years because of
pollution or overhunting by humans, action can be taken to prevent further
damage and possibly reverse some of the present damage.
Limitations of Ecological Pyramids

o It does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more
trophic levels.
o It assumes a simple food chain and does not accommodate a food web.
o Saprophytes and decomposers are not given any place in ecological pyramids
Sources

ncert.nic.in
en.wikipedia.org
biologydictionary.net
THANK YOU