Simulation · Biology · Class 12
One sparrow, two trophic levels
From the lesson Limits of trophic levels and pyramids in Ecosystem. Change the values and watch what happens.
One sparrow, two trophic levelsBiology · Class 12
The idea behind it
NCERT §12.5
- Any calculation of energy, biomass or number must include all the organisms at a trophic level; a few individuals cannot support a generalisation.
- A trophic level describes a role, not a species. A single species can work at two or more trophic levels in one ecosystem at once.
- Feeding on seeds, fruits and peas, a sparrow acts as a primary consumer; feeding on insects and worms, it acts as a secondary consumer.
- Ecological pyramids do not account for a species that belongs to two or more trophic levels.
- They assume a simple food chain, which almost never exists in nature, and cannot show a food web.
- Saprophytes are left out of ecological pyramids altogether, despite their vital role in the ecosystem.