Organism

Raccoon

Grass carp

Great blue heron

American alligator

Southern leopard frog

Butterfly orchid

Eastern mud turtle

Swamp Ecosystem Data

Energy Source

Frogs, bird eggs, fish, insects, snails, reptiles, plants

Plants, mosquito larvae

Fish, frogs

Reptiles, birds, fish, mammals

Insects

Sunlight

Fish, snails, tadpoles, plants, worms, insects

The table lists some organisms found in a swamp ecosystem and their sources of energy.

When constructing an energy pyramid of the swamp ecosystem, which of these would be placed at the top of the pyramid?

Grass Carp

American alligator

Eastern mud turtle

D

Great blue heron

The answer is B. American alligator

Explanation:

Energy Pyramid:

A type of ecological pyramid that describes the energy contained in each trophic level or stage of the food chain. This pyramid is basically a representation of the flow of energy from producers to the top consumer in the food chain. There is a successive decrease in each trophic levels from the bottom to the top. This means that the producers produce the most amount of energy for their daily needs e. g. 1000 kcal. This 1000 kcal will be reduced to only 1 kcal energy by the time it reaches the tertiary consumer or top consumer.

Trophic Levels:

According to the energy pyramid in the question, trophic levels and organisms they signify are as follows (from bottom to top):

Producers: Butterfly orchid Primary Consumers: Southern leopard frog, grass carp Secondary Consumers: Raccoon, Great blue heron, eastern mud turtle Tertiary Consumers: American alligator

The tertiary consumers secure the top of the food chain and they prey on the primary and secondary consumers. In this case, the american alligator is the top consumer as it feeds on reptiles, birds, fish and mammals.