Ecology: Split bars in ecological pyramids

[Candlegiglia]

Hiya,

ive come across a couple of pyramids of numbers and biomass where the producers' bar is split. Does anyone know why??

thanks for the help!

[Sandwich]

There is more than one sort of producer for a consumer, perhaps? Perhaps it would be best if you gave an example

[Candlegiglia]

well i dont really have an example...in the book it simply had a pyramid of numbers with this crack in the bar for the producers and below it the question "why do you think that the bar is split?" and there wasn't an answer anywhere??

i did think that maybe it was because there are more than one type of producers but then in that case wouldnt you do the same for consumers if there were more than one type of primary consumers?? the entire pyramid should be broken and fragmented then, shouldnt it??

[Sandwich]

So none of the bars had labels or a context at all? Was it a bar of mass or a bar of energy or of number...? That's what I meant when I said an example, really xP Somebody else might be able to work it out without an example, but as I'm unfamiliar with it I thought it might be easier to work out with an example

[Candlegiglia]

no its not realy labeled as such it just has the number of organisms at each level...actually the other diagrams are labbeled with one particular type of producer so i guess that means...a split just indicates multiple producers...meh its ok, ill just leave a question like that in the exam if one does come up or write whatever

thanks