What diagram illustrates the flow of energy through different trophic levels?

An energy pyramid is a diagram that effectively illustrates the flow of energy through different trophic levels within an ecosystem. It visually represents the amount of energy available at each level, which decreases as you move from producers at the base to various levels of consumers above.

At the base of the pyramid are the primary producers, such as plants that harness energy from the sun through photosynthesis. As you ascend, each successive level, including herbivores and carnivores, receives only a fraction of the energy from the level below—approximately 10% typically. This reduction occurs due to energy being lost through metabolic processes as heat, as well as factors like growth, reproduction, and maintaining homeostasis.

The structure of the energy pyramid highlights not only the diminishing energy but also the relative biomass that can be supported at each trophic level. This representation clarifies the interconnectedness of ecosystems and underscores why there are fewer top-level predators compared to producers.

In contrast, while both food chains and food webs show the relationships among different organisms and their feeding behaviors, they do not specifically convey the energy transfer quantitatively. A biomass chart depicts the biomass at each level but does not focus on energy flow. Each of these alternative choices serves a purpose in studying ecosystems, but