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):

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.