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DATE: MAY 2014

CLASS: DIPLOMA BIOLOGY YEAR 12

NAME:

Ecological Pyramids
Answer the following questions in the space provided.
1.

a) What kind of ecological pyramid is depicted in the above diagram?


a. A pyramid of Numbers
b. A pyramid of Energy
c. A pyramid of Biomass
b) Describe the shape of this ecological pyramid. Why doesnt this pyramid collapse even though
there are fewer organisms at the first trophic level than at the second trophic level?
It doesnt collapse because of the size and the number of Caterpillars compensates the energy they
animals on the higher levels need to survive.
c) What happens to the energy stored in each trophic level as one moves up through the levels in the
pyramid?
The animals in the vital functions (respiration etc.) consume that energy and the energy is also used
when the animal moves so the energy continues to decrease as it goes up the pyramid.

DATE: MAY 2014

CLASS: DIPLOMA BIOLOGY YEAR 12

NAME:

2.

a) What kind of ecological pyramid is depicted in the above diagram? Provide a definition
explaining the nature of this pyramid.
This is a pyramid of biomass. A pyramid of biomass shows the mass of living organisms in a food
chain and it gets narrower as it reaches the top.
b) Describe two complications that can arise when biologists use a pyramid of biomass.
The pyramid of biomass can be altered by high reproduction in a low level but that dont increase the
biomass much so the pyramid ends up looking less as a pyramid. There can be external factors that
affect the biomass and the numbers of the organisms. Like the seasons can affect the biomass of a
species.

DATE: MAY 2014

CLASS: DIPLOMA BIOLOGY YEAR 12

NAME:

3. A grassland ecosystem in Alberta receives 1500 kJ of sunlight. One food chain in this community
is depicted as follows:
grass grasshoppers blackbirds hawks
a) Draw an ecological pyramid that illustrates the transfer of energy in this community. Using the
rule of 10, determine the amount of energy that is stored at each trophic level. Include all relevant
labels.

b) A farmer sets up a buffalo farm in this ecosystem. Over time, the buffalo greatly reduce the grass
biomass in the community. Explain how the introduction of this new species could affect the amount
of energy transferred within the food chain that is shown above.
A new species can be consuming more that what the first trophic level can produce. This is where
the 10% rule starts and the energy is not sufficient to be carried all the way to the last trophic level
causing the whole ecosystem to fail.
4. On the rest of this handout, discuss this statement: Humans should all be vegetarians
As humans we have the choice of deciding if we want to be primary consumers or secondary
consumers. In terms of the energy that is obtained it would be better if humans were vegetarian
because the energy would be lost in a very small amount compared to the total energy that we are
receiving by being secondary consumers. If we only took into account that then, yes all humans
should be vegetarian. It would be really easy if the only thing we needed as humans were trying to
consume and optimize the amount of energy we receive but we need other things like protein that it
is not impossible to compensate but its harder because you need to know the amount of first trophic
level to consume and what types of vegetables will do that. It is easier to eat a piece of meat that may
not have the greater amount of energy but it has the proteins and that has to be compensated with a
much greater amount of vegetables. So basically if humans only consumed meat they wouldnt get
the energy and if they were only herbivore then the proteins would be harder to get but the good

DATE: MAY 2014

CLASS: DIPLOMA BIOLOGY YEAR 12

NAME:

thing is that humans can eat both. Maybe the human body doesnt process meat very well with time
but it is very important that children that are developing and growing consume meat. What I think is
that it is much healthier to eat from the first trophic level and occasionally be secondary consumers.

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