Why do we find less top carnivores than herbivores and why are there so many more plants than there are carnivores in this world?
Because some energy is always lost in every level of the energy pyramid.
There are more herbivores than carnivores because all life depends on primary producers: plants. Herbivores can eat plants, carnivores can't. Carnivores rely on herbivores for food so balance must be maintained. Enough herbivores must survive to breed and produce replacements. There are more herbivores than carnivores in a food chain because. (i) Much energy is lost in the transfer of energy from herbivores to carnivores. (ii) A larger number of herbivores are needed to support a smaller number of carnivores. (iii) This is the way for the food chain to stay in the equilibrium. More herbivores are needed to support less number of carnivores and much energy is lost in the transfer of energy from herbivores to carnivores. That's because a system that has a huge number of carnivores at the top would be unsupportable: There wouldn't be enough prey to sustain them. Since herbivores get energy directly from the source, they're "the most abundant, most widespread, and typically [have] the largest body size. Carnivores are wide-ranging, but rare because of their positions at the top of food webs. Most of the largest carnivore species, like lions, wolves, and bears, have experienced substantial population declines and range contractions throughout the world during the previous 200 years. Digestion of cellulose takes a longer time. Hence, herbivores eating grass need a longer small intestine to allow complete digestion of cellulose. Carnivorous animals cannot digest cellulose; hence they have a shorter intestine. Because biomass decreases with each trophic level, there are always more autotrophs than herbivores in a healthy food web. There are more herbivores than carnivores. An ecosystem cannot support a large number of omnivores without supporting an even larger number of herbivores, and an even larger number of autotrophs. In other words, animals transfer on even less energy through the food chain than they obtain. This equilibrium helps preserve and recycle carbon for the ecosystem. Moreover, there is a greater number of smaller species than bigger ones. Herbivores are, however, more abundant than carnivores. Biomass decreases with each trophic level. There is always more biomass in lower trophic levels than in higher ones. Because biomass decreases with each trophic level, there are always more autotrophs than herbivores in a healthy food web. There are more herbivores than carnivores. In a habitat, herbivores are expected to outnumber carnivores. This is because carnivores depend upon herbivores for their food and get energy by consuming herbivores. Some energy is wasted during the transfer from herbivores to carnivores. Consequently, less energy exists at the level of a secondary consumer. Herbivores have longer small intestines than carnivores because they eat plant and grass-based foods high in cellulose and need a long time to digest. Bile is a digestive liquid that the liver secretes and stores in the gallbladder. Bile's purpose in the gut is to aid fat digestion and absorption.
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