Introduction to ecological pyramids

Ecological pyramids

                    Each step in food chain is called energy level. It is also known as trophic level. The diagram showing the transfer of energy in a given set of organisms is called ecological pyramid. It is another way of representing energy transfer in a food chain.

 

           Let us construct an ecological pyramid for the food chain illustrated in the diagram. We count the number of plants, the number of grasshoppers, the number of frogs, the number of snakes and the number of hawks in the given area. The number of plant is very large; the number of grasshoppers is lesser; the number of frogs is still lesser; the number of snakes is still more lesser whereas the number of hawks is the least. 

                 The plants are the producers and therefore the constitute the first trophic level. They occupy the base of the pyramid, as they are large. As we go up, the number of living organisms in the given area decreases. The herbivores the second trophic level. The first order carnivores constitute the third trophic level followed by second order carnivore in fourth trophic level. The top carnivore occupies the top trophic level.