– A number pyramid represents the total number of persons (population) existing at each trophic level. – In 1972, Elton John coined the phrase “pyramid of numbers.” – This pyramid is quite effective when it comes to counting the number of creatures.
– The best way to figure out what each trophic level does in an ecosystem is to use an energy pyramid. – An energy pyramid shows how much energy is at each trophic level as well as how much energy is lost when a species moves up or down a trophic level.
– At a particular trophic level, biomass is the amount of living material present in an individual or group of individuals per unit of surface area. – This type of ecological pyramid accounts for the amount of biomass present at each trophic level at each level. – The pyramidal representation of biomass is based on the second rule of thermodynamics.