Page "Food web" Paragraph 32

< div style =" border: none ; width: 350px ;">< div class =" thumbcaption "> Top Left: A four level trophic pyramid sitting on a layer of soil and its community of decomposers.

Top right: A three layer trophic pyramid linked to the biomass and energy flow concepts.

Bottom: Illustration of a range of ecological pyramids, including top pyramid of numbers, middle pyramid of biomass, and bottom pyramid of energy.

The terrestrial forest ( summer ) and the English Channel ecosystems exhibit inverted pyramids. Note: trophic levels are not drawn to scale and the pyramid of numbers excludes microorganisms and soil animals.

Abbreviations: P = Predators, C1 = Primary consumers, C2 = Secondary consumers, C3 = Tertiary consumers, S = Saprotrophs.