Which diagram shows the amount of energy transferred from one feeding level to the next within a food web?

• A. Trophic level
• B. Biomass pyramid
• C. Number pyramid
• D. Energy pyramid

Answer: (D)

Energy is lost at every step as organisms use it for metabolism and heat, so the amount available to the next feeding level is smaller than at the previous one. An energy pyramid captures this flow, showing the amount of usable energy at each trophic level and typically decreasing from producers upward. This makes it the best diagram for illustrating how energy transfers from one feeding level to the next. The other diagrams depict different things—trophic level labels identify a step in the chain, a biomass pyramid shows total mass at each level, and a number pyramid shows how many individuals are present—none directly track the energy transferred between levels.