Question

Pyramid of energy is always upright, it represents
A) There is an increase in energy of the ecosystem
B) There is a decrease in energy due to concentration in successive levels.
C) There is a decrease in energy due to a loss in form of heat in a numeric level
D) There is an increase in energy due to gain of heat in each trophic level.

Answer 1

Hint: Ecological pyramid is a graphical representation to show the biomass at each trophic level. In the pyramid of energy, the energy flow is always unidirectional.

Step by step answer: In the pyramid of energy, the flow of energy moves through the layers of the energy pyramid from the bottom-up and is gradually reduced as energy is used up by the organisms at each level. Energy is used up for all life processes such as respiration, movement, reproduction and metabolic processes. So, out of the 100% total energy available to the plants, only around 10% is made into plant tissues, while 90% is used up and is lost as heat. At each of the subsequent trophic levels, the same amount of energy (90%) is lost as heat, while 10% is turned into available biomatter. The idea of the ecological pyramid was given by G. Evelyn Hutchinson and Raymond Lindeman. In most of the ecological pyramid, the producer forms the base, and the successive trophic levels make up the apex. Mainly the ecological pyramid is of three types: the pyramid of the number, the pyramid of biomass, and the pyramid of energy. The pyramid of energy is always upright as the energy flow in food is always unidirectional.
Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note: Ecological pyramids begin with producers on the bottom (such as plants) and proceed through the various trophic levels (such as herbivores that eat plants, then carnivores that eat flesh, than omnivores that eat both plants and flesh, and so on). The highest level is at the top of the food chain.