How does the energy pyramid differ from the biomass pyramid?

The energy pyramid is specifically designed to illustrate how energy flows through different trophic levels in an ecosystem, showing the amount of energy that is transferred from one level to the next. In contrast to the biomass pyramid, which focuses on the total mass of organisms at each trophic level, the energy pyramid provides a clear visual understanding of the diminishing energy available as you move up from primary producers to herbivores and then to carnivores.

This flow of energy is typically represented in units such as kilocalories or joules, helping to highlight why there are fewer individuals or less biomass in higher trophic levels due to the energy lost as heat and through metabolic processes. Because only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, the energy pyramid effectively illustrates this concept, emphasizing the efficiency of energy transfer and its implications for the structure of ecosystems.