What does the pyramid of biomass illustrate?

The pyramid of biomass visually represents the total amount of living material, or biomass, available at each trophic level within an ecosystem. Biomass refers to the mass of living creatures—plants, animals, and microorganisms—at a given level in the food chain. As one moves up the trophic levels, from producers to various levels of consumers, the total biomass typically decreases. This reflects the energy loss at each level due to metabolic processes, which is consistent with the laws of thermodynamics. Thus, this pyramid is crucial for understanding the distribution and availability of organic material in an ecosystem, indicating the amounts present rather than simply counting individual organisms or measuring energy transfer directly.