Which kind of pyramid will be obtained if a small standing crop of lower trophic levels supports large standing crop of higher trophic levels?

Options

A. Inverted pyramid of number
B. Upright pyramid of number
C. Inverted pyramid of biomass
D. Upright pyramid of biomass

Answer

To solve the question, "Which kind of pyramid will be obtained if a small standing crop of lower trophic levels supports a large standing crop of higher trophic levels?", we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Concept of Trophic Levels
Trophic levels refer to the different levels in a food chain, where each level represents a different group of organisms that share the same function in the food web. The primary levels include producers (like plants) at the base, followed by primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), and so on.

**Hint:** Remember that the base of the pyramid consists of producers, and as you move up, you encounter consumers.

### Step 2: Define Standing Crop
Standing crop refers to the total biomass of a particular trophic level at a given time. It is measured in terms of weight per unit area (e.g., grams per square meter).

**Hint:** Think of standing crop as the amount of living material present at a specific moment in a specific area.

### Step 3: Analyze the Given Information
The question states that there is a small standing crop of lower trophic levels (e.g., producers) supporting a large standing crop of higher trophic levels (e.g., consumers). This indicates that the biomass of the producers is low, while the biomass of the consumers is high.

**Hint:** Focus on how the biomass is distributed between the lower and higher trophic levels.

### Step 4: Determine the Type of Pyramid
In ecological terms, when a small biomass of producers supports a large biomass of consumers, it results in an inverted pyramid of biomass. This is because the biomass decreases as you move up the trophic levels, which is contrary to the typical pyramid structure where biomass usually increases at lower levels.

**Hint:** Visualize the pyramid: if the base (producers) is smaller than the top (consumers), it will look inverted.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the kind of pyramid that will be obtained is an **inverted pyramid of biomass**. This means that the biomass at the higher trophic levels is greater than that at the lower trophic levels.

**Final Answer:** The correct answer is an inverted pyramid of biomass.