Pyramid Activity
Build a large pyramid on the long sheet of paper like the one shown on Youtube.com
An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid, energy pyramid, or sometimes
food pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the biomass,
energy used and bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem. An
ecological pyramid may also show the complexities within a given food web.
Your pyramid will have three sides. On each side, you and your group illustrate a
different food web. You will start with the organisms given below. They will build
one side of your pyramid. The other sides will need to be filled with food webs
representing different ecosystems (ex: pyramid of a coral reef, desert
environment, polar ecosystem, etc…).
35 bushes
10 beetles
5 frogs
1 snake
After you have your organisms on the pyramid, label the following items on the pyramid
where they belong:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Autotrophs (producers)/ Chemotrophs
Heterotrophs (consumers)
Label the herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores
Label the primary consumers. Label the secondary consumers
Put on the pyramid: is this more of a food web or a food chain?
Label on the pyramid some more biotic factors that would influence this pyramid.
Label on the pyramid several abiotic factors that would influence this pyramid.
Show the differences in species, populations and community on this pyramid.
On one side, show what happens to the overall energy from the sun as it flows
through this pyramid community.
10. On one side, explain how a biomass pyramid is represented.
** For all information you do NOT know… on a separate sheet of paper, make a list of
items that aren’t clear to you. These will be the items you DEFINITELY know you need
to learn…