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Question
What are the shortcomings of ecological pyramids in the study of ecosystems?
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Solution
The shortcomings of ecological pyramids in ecosystem study are that they assume a simple food chain and do not account for complex food webs. They also do not consider species that may belong to two or more trophic levels at the same time, and they exclude decomposers despite their important role in ecosystems. Thus, ecological pyramids provide only a limited view of trophic structure and energy flow in ecosystems.
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