Biomass Pyramid

Question 1

Explain the biomass pyramid levels

Answer 1

The levels are as follows;

Tertiary consumers 10J

Secondary consumers 100J

Primary consumers 1,000J

Producers 10,000J

1,000,000 J of sunlight

Question 2

Explain what happens in the biomass pyramid

Answer 2

90% of biomass is lost each level up in the biomass pyramid. 10:1 ratio for every level.

There is much less biomass as one ascends the pyramid because most of what is consumed is utilized for energy not for growth. (Mostly water and carbohydrates for cellular respiration, not adding onto your weight)

Consumers only eat some of the individual of the trophic level below. So each level can’t get the maximum possible biomass.