alleryStart learning →Pyramids of numbers and of biomass can both be inverted. What about pyramids of energy?
AThey are always inverted
BThey can be either way up
CThey are always diamond shaped
DThey are always upright
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. They are always upright
1. Energy is lost as heat at every transfer between trophic levels.
2. So each level always has less energy available than the level below it.
3. That makes a pyramid of energy upright without exception.
4. Numbers and biomass can invert because they are snapshots that ignore turnover rate.
5. For studying energy flow, the energy pyramid is therefore the most consistent model.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 44 and 46, section 46.2 Energy Flow through Ecosystems_
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