Which one of the following pyramids of biomass is generally inverted in the ecosystems? |
Forest Grassland Sea Desert |
Sea |
The correct answer is Option (3) → Sea The green plant in the ecosystem are called producers. In a terrestrial ecosystem, major producers are herbaceous and woody plants. Likewise, producers in an aquatic ecosystem are various species like phytoplankton, algae and higher plants The pyramid of biomass in the sea is often inverted due to the higher biomass of fishes compared to phytoplankton. Phytoplankton, which are microscopic photosynthetic organisms, serve as the primary producers in marine ecosystems. They convert sunlight and nutrients into organic matter and form the base of the food chain. The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton.The producers are smallest organisms while carnivores are large in size. Consequently , there is a gradual increase in biomass of organisms at successive trophic levels from producers onwards to top carnivores resulting in inverted pyramid. Thus, the biomass of phytoplanktons will be smaller than that of zooplanktons; the biomass of zooplanktons will be lesser than of primary carnivores ( e.g., small fishes). |