trophic pyramid: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	ecological pyramid • energy pyramid

Photos and Videos

Diagram showing energy transfer through an ecosystem, with solar energy absorbed by plants (producers) at the base, then moving up to herbivores (primary consumers), small carnivores (secondary consumers), and large carnivores (tertiary consumers), while most energy is lost as heat at each step.

Diagram illustrating energy flow through ecosystem trophic levels, showing energy from the sun absorbed by producers (plants), then transferred to a rabbit (primary consumer), a snake (secondary consumer), and an eagle (tertiary consumer), with energy loss as heat at each step.

An energy pyramid diagram showing four levels: producers like grass at the base, primary consumers such as rabbits above, secondary consumers like snakes next, and a tertiary consumer, an eagle, at the top. Arrows indicate energy transfer upward and energy loss at each level.

A diagram of a generalized aquatic food web shows various marine organisms connected by arrows indicating predator-prey relationships. Top predators like large sharks, smaller sharks, and marlin are at the top, followed by predators such as tuna, squid, lancet fish, and mackerel. Filterers like lantern fish, amphipods, and ocean sunfish occupy the next level, with zooplankton such as shrimp, copepods, and pteropods below them. At the base, phytoplankton including dinoflagellates and diatoms prov

What is a trophic cascade?

How an ecosystem works: Producers, herbivores, and carnivores

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

trophic level heterotroph autotroph food chain Biosphere population biogeographic region biodiversity keystone species community guild ecotone biomass niche indicator species

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic