Illustrate the factors that allow the aquatic pyramid of biomass to be inverted.

Answer:

Phytoplankton are small and are consumed quickly, so the amount of them present at any one time can be low. However, they reproduce and grow rapidly, replacing their biomass quickly. This high turnover lets a relatively small standing crop of phytoplankton support a larger standing biomass of zooplankton and other consumers, creating an inverted biomass pyramid.