Often, the study of ecological pyramids causes great difficulties for students. In fact, even the most primitive and lightest ecological pyramids are beginning to be studied by preschoolers and schoolchildren in elementary grades. In recent years, ecology as a science has begun to pay a lot of attention, since this science plays a significant role in the modern world. The ecological pyramid is a part of ecology as a science. In order to understand what it is, you need to read this article.
What is an ecological pyramid?
An ecological pyramid is such a graphic drawing, which is most often depicted in the form of a triangle. Such models depict the trophic structure of the biocenosis. This means that ecological pyramids represent the number of individuals, their biomass, or the amount of energy that is contained in them. Each of them can demonstrate any one indicator. Accordingly, this means that ecological pyramids can be of several types: a pyramid that displays the number of individuals, a pyramid that reflects the amount of biomass of the individuals represented, as well as the last ecological pyramid that clearly demonstrates the amount of energy contained in these individuals.
What are pyramids of numbers?
The pyramid of numbers (or numbers) shows the number of organisms at each trophic level. Such an ecological graphic model can be used in science, but very rarely. The links in the ecological pyramid of numbers can be depicted almost to infinity, that is, the structure of the biocenosis in one pyramid is extremely difficult to depict. In addition, many individuals are present at each trophic level, because of which it is sometimes almost impossible to demonstrate the whole structure of the biocenosis on one, full scale.
An example of building a pyramid of numbers
In order to understand the pyramid of numbers and its construction, it is necessary to find out what individuals and what interactions between them include this ecological pyramid. We now consider the examples in detail.
Let the base of the figure be 1000 tons of grass. For example, for 1 year, about 26 million individuals of grasshoppers or other insects will be able to feed on this grass under natural conditions of survival. Grasshoppers in this case will be above the vegetation and make up the second trophic level. The third trophic level will be 90 thousand frogs, which in a year will eat the insects located below. About 300 trouts will be able to eat these frogs per year, respectively, they will be located at the fourth trophic level in the pyramid. An adult will be located at the top of the ecological pyramid, he will become the fifth and final link in this chain, that is, the last trophic level. This will happen because in a year a person will be able to eat about 300 trouts. In turn, a person is the highest link in the food chain, respectively, no one can already eat it. As shown in the example, the missing links in the ecological pyramid of numbers are impossible.
Biomass Pyramid
It can have a wide variety of structures depending on the ecosystem. For example, this pyramid for terrestrial ecosystems may look almost the same as the energy pyramid. This means that the pyramid of biomass will be constructed in such a way that the amount of biomass will decrease with each subsequent trophic level.
In general, biomass pyramids are studied mainly by students, because some knowledge in the fields of biology, ecology, and zoology is needed to understand them. This ecological pyramid is a graphic drawing that represents the relationship between the processors (i.e., producers of organic substances from inorganic ones) and consumers (consumers of these organic substances).
What are consumers and students?
In order to surely understand the principle of building a pyramid of biomass, you need to figure out who such consumers and students are.
Producers are producers of organic matter from inorganic. These are plants. For example, plant leaves use carbon dioxide (inorganic matter), and produce organic matter as a result of photosynthesis.
Consumers are consumers of these organic substances. In the land ecosystem, they are animals and people, and in aquatic ecosystems, various marine animals and fish.
Inverted Biomass Pyramids
The inverted biomass pyramid has the construction of a triangle turned upside down, that is, its base is narrower than the top. Such a pyramid is called reversed or inverted. The ecological pyramid has this construction if the biomass of the students (producers of organic substances) is less than the biomass of consumers (consumers of organic substances).
Energy pyramid
As we know, an ecological pyramid is a graphic model of an ecosystem. One of the important environmental models is the graphical construction of the energy flow. The pyramid, which reflects the speed and time that food passes through the food chain, is called the energy pyramid. It was formulated thanks to the famous American scientist who was an ecologist and zoologist, Raymond Lindeman. Raymond formulated a law (the rule of the ecological pyramid), which stated that when moving from the lowest trophic level to the next, about 10% (more or less) of the energy that went to the previous level in the ecological pyramid passes through the food chains. And the rest of the energy, as a rule, is spent on the process of life, on the embodiment of this process. And as a result of the exchange process in each link, organisms lose about 90% of their energy.
The pattern of the energy pyramid
In fact, the pattern is that much less (several times) energy passes through the upper trophic levels than through the lower. It is for this reason that there are much fewer large predatory animals than, for example, frogs or insects.
Consider, for example, a predatory beast such as a bear. It can be at the top, that is, at the very last trophic level, because it is difficult to find an animal that would feed on it. In the event that in large numbers there were animals that would eat bears for food, they would already become extinct, because they could not feed themselves, since the bears are few in number. This is proved by the pyramid of energies.
Pyramid of Natural Balances
Schoolchildren begin to study it in the 1st or 2nd grades, because it is quite easy to understand, but at the same time very important as a component of environmental science. The pyramid of natural equilibrium acts in different ecosystems, both in terrestrial nature and in underwater. Often it is used to familiarize students with the importance of each creature on earth. In order to understand the pyramid of natural equilibrium, it is necessary to consider examples.
Examples of the construction of the pyramid of natural equilibria
The pyramid of natural equilibria can clearly demonstrate the interaction of the river and the forest. For example, a graphic drawing may show the following interaction of natural resources: a forest grew on the river bank, which went far inland. The river was very full-flowing, and flowers, mushrooms, and bushes grew on its banks. There were many fish in its waters. In this example, an ecological balance is observed. The river gives its moisture to the trees, the trees create a shadow, do not allow water from the river to evaporate. Consider the reverse example of natural equilibrium. If something happens to the forest, the trees burn out or are cut down, the river will be able to dry without protection. This is an example of the destruction of the ecological balance.
The same thing can happen to animals and plants. Consider owls, forest mice and acorns. Acorns are the basis in the ecological pyramid of natural equilibrium, because they do not eat anything, but at the same time nourish rodents. The second component in the next trophic level will be forest mice. They eat acorns. There will be owls at the top of the pyramid because they feed on mice. If acorns that grow on a tree disappear, then the mice will have nothing to eat and they will most likely die. But then the owls will have no one to eat, and their whole species will perish. This is the pyramid of natural equilibrium.
Thanks to these pyramids, ecologists can monitor the state of nature and wildlife and draw appropriate conclusions.