energiapiramisokkal

Energiapiramisokkal, a Finnish term, translates to "energy pyramids" in English. This concept generally refers to a visual representation of energy flow within an ecosystem or a population. Unlike a biomass pyramid which depicts the total mass of organisms at each trophic level, or a pyramid of numbers which shows the quantity of individual organisms, an energy pyramid illustrates the amount of energy available at each trophic level.

Typically, the base of the energy pyramid represents producers, such as plants or phytoplankton, which capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis. The next level up represents primary consumers (herbivores) that consume the producers. Subsequent levels represent secondary consumers (carnivores that eat herbivores) and tertiary consumers (carnivores that eat other carnivores). Energy is lost at each transfer between trophic levels, primarily as heat due to metabolic processes. This means that a significantly smaller amount of energy is available to organisms at higher trophic levels compared to those at lower levels. Consequently, the energy pyramid is always upright, with the widest section at the bottom and progressively narrower sections above. This fundamental principle explains why ecosystems can support a greater number of organisms at lower trophic levels.