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Why is the Pyramid of Energy Always Upright

Why is the pyramid of energy always upright explained? Find the answer to this question and access a vast question bank that is customised for students.

Answer : It is essential for there to be a constant flow of energy through an ecosystem in order for it to function to its utmost potential. The ecosystem produces the food that ultimately serves as the source of the energy. The sun is the primary source of this energy, and organisms that create food, like green plants, are able to capture solar energy and transform it into the hydrogen gas that they need to grow and survive. Now, some of this fuel is given to the people who manufacture things. After that, the major producer is consumed by the primary consumer, and the prime consumer is subsequently consumed by background clutter. It’s possible that this secondary consumer will eventually be consumed by a third consumer, and so on. The energy is passed on from one client to the subsequent one who has a higher level of consumption. This relationship, which begins with producers and continues all the way up to apex top predators or decomposer species, is what constitutes the food chain. As the flow of energy via a food supply chain is constantly in the same direction, the energy pyramid will always be standing straight. When food is consumed by one species in an ecosystem, it is then consumed by another species at a higher trophic level. Because of this transfer, energy is sent down via the different trophic levels. However, some of this energy is constantly wasted as heat in each step, and it is never sent back to the sun. As a result, the energy pyramid is maintained in a standing position.

Note that the orientation of the pyramid of quantity and biomass can vary depending on the structure of the food chain; it can be upright, inverted, or dumbbell-shaped, for example. The group of creatures that inhabit the same level in a food supply chain and have the same nutritional link to the principal forms of energy in an ecosystem is referred to as a trophic level. Trophic levels are found in ecosystems.