Ecological Pyramids

• Energy pyramids shows the amount of energy that moves from trophic level to another in a food chain.
• 10% of energy in food is available.
• 90% of energy in food is lost to heat.
• The most energy is available at the base, made up of producers who create their own energy.
• The availability of energy decreases as it moves up the energy pyramid.
• Energy is not created or destroyed.
• Plants harness sun energy and transfer it into something other organisms can eat.
• Energy can be lost as heat.
• Energy is used for simple life processes.
• Due to energy being lost, it causes less energy as you move up the pyramid.
• Only 10% of energy from each organism in a food chain is passed on when consumed for food.
• 90% of the energy is lost through cell processes and heat.
• Mass: based on how much matter.
• Biomass: total mass of living matter at each trophic level.
• As you move up the pyramid, there is less biomass due to less energy with each level.
• Number pyramids represent the number of organisms at each trophic level.
• In number pyramids, the relative number decreases because energy decreases, so less is available to support organisms.
• Bioaccumulation: increase of concentration of a toxin as it passes up trophic levels.
• Biomagnification: toxins get more concentrated up the food chain.
• Pollutants going up trophic levels increase.
• Processed foods do not have less energy, they just take more energy to be made. The foods contain the same amount of energy as healthy foods, like salads.