pyramid of energy

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pyramid of energy A diagrammatic expression of the rates of flow of energy through the different trophic levels of an ecosystem. It reflects the rates of photosynthesis, respiration, etc. (and not the standing crop, as in the pyramid of biomass), and can never be inverted since energy is dissipated through the ecosystem. It is the most fundamental and most useful of the 3 ecological pyramids. Compare PYRAMID OF BIOMASS and PYRAMID OF NUMBERS; see also ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID.

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