Reference no: EM132710238

In aquatic ecosystems, there tends to be a higher biomass of ectothermic primary consumers relative to biomass of primary endothermic consumers than in a terrestrial ecosystem. In a terrestrial ecosystem, it is the opposite: there tends to be a higher biomass of endothermic consumers than ectothermic consumers. Ectothermic ("cold-blooded") organisms spend a lot less energy on maintaining their internal body temperature than endothermic ("warm-blooded") organisms. Given these facts, would you expect the size of the secondary consumer trophic level relative to the size of the primary consumer trophic level on an energy pyramid of an aquatic ecosystem to be larger or smaller than on an energy pyramid of a terrestrial ecosystem? Justify your answer with a brief explanation.