Importance of Ecological Pyramids

Introduction

Famous scientists including Charles Elton, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, and Raymond Lindeman helped to create the ecological pyramid. Estonian pyramid, named after Charles Elton, energy pyramid, trophic pyramid, and food pyramid are some of the names given to it.

The Ecological Pyramid is a graphical representation of the relationship between various living organisms at various trophic levels in an ecosystem. There are three types of ecological pyramids in an ecological pyramid.

The following are some important words in ecology and ecological pyramids:

1. Trophic Level: A trophic level is a position in a food chain or an ecological pyramid that an organism or a group of similar organisms occupy. Trophic levels are the sequential positions of organisms based on their feeding habits. Trophic means “feeding.” The following are various trophic levels:

• Producers:-Plants and other autotrophs are among the most important consumers

• Consumers:-Heterotrophic organisms are the ones in question. Depending on the extent of the food chain in an ecosystem, these organisms are further classed as primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. The secondary or tertiary trophic levels of a detritus food chain are decomposers

• Food chain:-It depicts the transmission of energy from one creature to the next in a population. It’s a trophic level-by-trophic-level cycle of eating and being eaten up
• Food web:-It refers to a collection of interconnected food chains in a certain community
• Biome:-The term refers to a biogeographical unit made up of the biological community that forms as a result of regional climate conditions. The majority of these are significant ecosystems, such as grassland, forest, desert, and ocean

Importance of Ecological Pyramids 

• It depicts the feeding habits of various organisms in different ecosystems
• It provides more information on energy transfer within an ecosystem’s trophic levels
• It demonstrates the efficiency of energy transfer in the ecosystem, even though some of it is lost as heat to the environment
• When properly monitored, it can be used to help preserve the ecosystem

Limitations of Ecological Pyramids 

Ecological pyramids have been proved to be a valuable metric in the study of ecosystems. However, it does not provide us with knowledge of some ecosystem patterns. Some of its drawbacks are listed below:

• Despite their importance in the food chain, saprophytes or decomposers are typically not assigned to any trophic level in the pyramid
• Due to their complexities, ecological pyramids ignore the food web. Please go here to learn more about the food web
• In a food pyramid, the same species of organisms cannot exist at different trophic levels
• It does not accurately reflect ongoing ecosystem activities about seasonal variations
• They’re only good for the food chain

Types of Ecological Pyramids

• Pyramid of numbers:- total number of individuals (population) present at each trophic level is represented by a pyramid of numbers. Elton John popularised the phrase “pyramid of numbers” in 1972. When it comes to counting the number of creatures, this pyramid is useful. Counting is a basic task that can be done over time to determine how an ecosystem has changed. Nonetheless, some creatures, particularly juvenile forms, are difficult to count. Depending on the number of organisms, the numbers pyramid can be inverted or upright. The number of organisms decreases from bottom to top in the Upright Pyramid of Numbers. Plants at the base of the pyramid commonly occur in pond and grassland environments. Consumers are established at the bottom of the pyramid
• Pyramid of Biomass:-We can define biomass as the amount of living material present in an individual or a group of individuals at a given trophic level expressed as a unit area product

The total mass of organisms in a given trophic level is represented by this pyramid. A number pyramid depicts the link between the amount of food provided and the amount of energy transmitted via each trophic level. Animals ingest biomass, which is mostly transformed to live tissue, turned into energy, or left undigested.

The pyramid is normally larger at the bottom, but it shrinks and becomes smaller as it rises. With an increase in trophic level, there is usually a decrease in biomass. Approximately 10% to 20% of the biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• Pyramid of Energy:-The energy pyramid is a vertical pyramid that depicts the transfer of energy from producers to consumers. It also reveals the precise role that distinct creatures play in energy transmission. As energy travels upwards, energy pyramids show how much energy is required in the next trophic level. The law of thermodynamics, which states that energy is not generated nor destroyed, but only converted from one form to another, can be used to describe the energy flow pattern in this pyramid. The way energy pyramids are built is determined by the rate at which food material (in the form of energy) moves through the food chain. Although some of the species have lower biomass, the total energy they use and pass on is significantly higher than that of creatures with higher biomass

Conclusion

Estonian pyramid, named after Charles Elton, energy pyramid, trophic pyramid, and food pyramid are some of the names given to it. The Ecological Pyramid is a graphical representation of the relationship between various living organisms at various trophic levels in an ecosystem. Trophic Level: A trophic level is a position in a food chain or an ecological pyramid that an organism or a group of similar organisms occupy. Food chain:-It depicts the transmission of energy from one creature to the next in a population. It demonstrates the efficiency of energy transfer in the ecosystem, even though some of it is lost as heat to the environment. Some of its drawbacks are listed below: Despite their importance in the food chain, saprophytes or decomposers are typically not assigned to any trophic level in the pyramid. In a food pyramid, the same species of organisms cannot exist at different trophic levels.