Another farmer produced 4200 kg of maize seeds in a field. The farmer fed the maize to 1000 chickens. At full size, the mean mass of one chicken was 2.2 kg.

Complete the pyramid of biomass for the food chain from the maize seeds to the 1000 chickens. You should:

• label the x-axis
• use a suitable scale
• draw the two bars for the pyramid.

A pyramid of biomass is a graphical representation of the biomass (total mass of organisms) present at each trophic level in an ecosystem. 1. **Calculate Biomass at Each Level:** * **Producer (Maize):** The biomass is given as **4200 kg**. * **Primary Consumer (Chickens):** There are 1000 chickens with a mean mass of 2.2 kg each. Total chicken biomass = 1000 × 2.2 kg = **2200 kg**. 2. **Construct the Pyramid:** * **Producers at the base:** The maize seeds are the producers, so their bar forms the base of the pyramid. * **Consumers above:** The chickens are the primary consumers, so their bar goes on top of the maize bar. * **Scale and Labels:** The horizontal axis (x-axis) is labelled "Biomass in kg". A linear scale is chosen that can accommodate the largest value (4200 kg). For example, each grid square could represent 400 kg. The pyramid is drawn symmetrically around a central vertical line (y-axis). * **Bar widths:** The maize bar would have a total width corresponding to 4200 kg, and the chicken bar would have a total width corresponding to 2200 kg. As 4200 > 2200, the base is wider than the top layer, forming the characteristic pyramid shape. This shape illustrates that biomass decreases at successive trophic levels.