Question

Identify the incorrect statement from the following-
A. Pyramid of energy is always upright.
B. Pyramid of number and biomass is always upright.
C. Pyramid of biomass in a sea is generally inverted as the biomass of fish far exceeds that of phytoplankton.
D. Food chains are generally short with few trophic levels as only 10% of energy is transferred to each trophic level from the lower trophic level.

Answer 1

Hint:
Ecological pyramids depict the feeding patterns of organisms graphically, in different ecosystems. Each bar represents a different trophic level and these are further of different types depicting the interrelation or the direction of flow.

Complete answer:
The pyramid of numbers and biomass is always upright is false. The pyramid of numbers and biomass is not always upright but can be inverted also.
Ecological pyramids depict a graphical representation of the feeding patterns of organisms in different ecosystems. Each bar represents the trophic level. It is further of three different types-
* Pyramid of Number- It depicts the number of organisms in each trophic level and size is considered. It can be upright(grassland ecosystem of pond ecosystem), partially upright or spindle-shaped(Forest ecosystem), and inverted(parasitic food chain).
* Pyramid of biomass- It indicates the total mass of an organism in each trophic level. It can be upright (Forests and grassland) or inverted (Aquatic ecosystem for eg- the biomass of fish far exceeds that of phytoplankton).
* Pyramid of energy- It is the fundamental of all and denotes the total amount of energy at each trophic level. It is always upright and vertical.
Then, we also know about the 10% law(during the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another only 10 % energy is stored), so food chains are generally short with few trophic levels as only 10% of energy is transferred to higher trophic level, rest of the energy is lost to the environment.

The correct option is (B).

Note: Remember the following points-
These ecological pyramids are also known as Eltonian Pyramids .
Also there is a difference between food chains and food webs.
The pyramids have no space for detritivores and decomposers.