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. Each bar of the pyramid represents the amount of energy per unit area or volume which flows through that trophic level in a given time period. The pyramid 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 three ecological pyramids. Compare PYRAMID OF NUMBERS. See also ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID.

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