Pyramid of Energy

The Energy Pyramid is also known as the Ecological Pyramid or the Tropic Pyramid. It’s a graphical illustration of the interactions between different organisms in an ecosystem. The pyramid is made up of several bars. Each bar represents a distinct trophic level.

These bars are arranged in order of who feeds on whom. It symbolises the ecosystem’s energy flow. Energy travels upwards from the bottom of the pyramid, where producers are located. The bars are usually of the same height. However, depending on the quantity of the element being measured, each bar has a varying width.

Energy Pyramid

An energy pyramid can be used to calculate the amount of energy transferred from one organism to the next in a food chain. Energy is higher at the bottom of the pyramid, but as you progress up the trophic levels, it diminishes.

Specifically, some energy is generally wasted as heat as energy moves through the various trophic levels. Approximately 10% of total energy is transmitted during energy flow via various trophic levels, resulting in a gradual decrease in energy.

Four Main Levels of Energy Pyramid

Producers

The first level of the energy pyramid is occupied by the producers and the energy accessible within them. 

These plants produce their sustenance in the form of simple sugars using solar energy. Some autotrophs derive their energy from the soil rather than the sun. Earthworms and fungi such as mushrooms are examples of autotrophs.

Producers such as mushrooms and earthworms, on the other hand, acquire less energy from the soil than green plants do from the light. Specifically, the energy from the soil is filtered through an additional layer of soil. As a result, a robin feeding on a worm, for example, would obtain less energy than one feeding on a berry.

Only heterotrophs – organisms that acquire their food from organic carbon, usually from other organisms – can be found at the lower levels of the energy pyramid.

Primary Consumers

Primary consumers, which are mainly herbivores, make up the second level of the energy pyramid. Herbivores are creatures that rely solely on plants for their existence and nutrition. Plants send their energy to the principal consumers after generating it from the sun.

This makes it easier for solar energy to move from one trophic level to the next. Although humans are not completely reliant on primary consumers, they must exist in the ecosystem. Otherwise, the system will not work properly.

Secondary Consumer

The third level of the energy pyramid is occupied by secondary users. Carnivores is a common name for them. Secondary consumers are creatures that rely on primary consumers for survival and sustenance.

The carnivores would not exist if the primary consumers did not exist. The energy that was previously delivered to the primary consumers by the producers is now being transported to this level. This allows for a smooth flow of energy that can be put to good use.

It’s worth noting that, depending on the amount of energy supplied to the producers, varying percentages of energy are transported to various ecological stages (plants).

Tertiary Consumer

The tertiary consumers are at the bottom of the energy pyramid. It’s the degree of secondary carnivores, which eat both primary and secondary consumers. At this point, the ecosystem’s energy level is complete.

The energy that the plants do not use is returned to the environment, which includes the soil, water bodies, and the atmosphere. After that, it’s usually sent into space. To guarantee that the planet remains stable, all layers of the energy pyramid must receive sufficient energy.

Ecological Pyramid is divided into three parts:

• Pyramid of Numbers
• Biomass Pyramid
• Pyramid of Energy

Pyramid of Energy

The energy pyramid helps in comparing the functional roles of trophic levels. Because there is a waste of energy in the form of heat and chemical energy, this pyramid is always erect. The amount of energy that may be used diminishes as it moves from the sun to the producer, and then to the consumer. The concept of bio magnifications is also explained by the energy pyramid.

It is a graphical representation of the amount of energy per unit area accumulated in an ecosystem at various trophic levels. It’s also known as the production pyramid.

Lindemann proposed the concept of energy flow in a food chain, which is the basis for the energy pyramid. “Only 10% of total energy is transported to the succeeding trophic levels and forming biomass,” according to Lindemann’s energy flow model. The rest is used in respiration, hunting, and other activities, or it is lost to the environment as heat. As a result, the energy available at each trophic level is 10% of the energy available at the preceding level. The ten per cent law of energy is what it’s called.

This results in the construction of an upright energy pyramid, which occurs in every ecosystem. The energy is highest at the producer level and steadily declines as it passes down the food chain to herbivores (primary consumers), carnivores, and omnivores (secondary, tertiary consumers). To put it another way, the energy pyramid portrays energy as a minimum at the highest trophic level and a maximum at the lowest trophic level. Assuming a specific numerical value of energy, an example of the energy pyramid can be explained.

1. Assume that the green vegetation receives 2000 joules of solar energy. Only 1% of total solar energy can be captured by plants.
2. Herbivores who feed on producers only acquire 10% of the energy stored in plants or 2 joules. The remaining 18 joules were ejected into the atmosphere.

Conclusion

The Energy Pyramid is also known as the Ecological Pyramid or the Tropic Pyramid. It’s a graphical illustration of the interactions between different organisms in an ecosystem. The pyramid is made up of several bars. Each bar represents a distinct trophic level.

The energy pyramid helps in comparing the functional roles of trophic levels. Because there is a waste of energy in the form of heat and chemical energy, this pyramid is always erect. The amount of energy that may be used diminishes as it moves from the sun to the producer, and then to the consumer. The concept of biomagnifications is also explained by the energy pyramid.