Which combination of ecological pyramids is characterized by an inverted shape?

Inverted pyramid of numbers in a parasitic food chain and inverted pyramid of biomass in a pond ecosystem.

Pyramid of number indicates the number of organisms at each trophic level. In parasitic food chain, the pyramid of numbers is inverted. In this, the primary producers (plants) are least in number followed by primary consumers (herbivores) followed by secondary consumers (parasites). In this, the maximum number of individuals are present at the top trophic level (hyperparasites).

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.

However, despite their abundance and productivity, phytoplankton have relatively low biomass because they are small in size. They are rapidly consumed by a large number of herbivorous zooplankton, which in turn become prey for small fish. This continues up the food chain, with larger predatory fish consuming smaller fish.

As energy is transferred and organisms grow, there is a loss of biomass at each trophic level due to metabolic processes, excretion, and other factors. Consequently, the biomass of fishes, which are higher up in the food chain, becomes significantly greater than that of the phytoplankton. This inverted pyramid of biomass reflects the cumulative biomass of organisms at each trophic level and highlights the energy loss and inefficiencies associated with energy transfer between trophic levels in marine ecosystems.

Therefore, the biomass of fishes exceeding that of phytoplankton is one of the reasons why the pyramid of biomass in the sea is often inverted.