Answer:
An energy pyramid is a graphical representation of the energy flow in a food chain or food web, where each level represents the amount of energy available to the next level. The bottom level represents the primary producers, such as plants, which use sunlight to produce energy-rich molecules through photosynthesis. The next level represents herbivores, which consume the plants, and so on up the food chain.Here's how an energy pyramid could explain why Earth could support a larger population of humans if we all became vegetarian:At the bottom of the pyramid, we have the primary producers, which are plants. Plants are able to capture energy from the sun and convert it into organic matter through photosynthesis. This process is very efficient, with about 1% of the energy from the sun being converted into plant biomass.The next level up is the herbivores, which are animals that eat plants. Herbivores are less efficient at converting plant biomass into animal biomass, with only about 10% of the energy from the plants being transferred to the herbivores.The next level up is the carnivores, which are animals that eat other animals. Carnivores are even less efficient at converting animal biomass into their own biomass, with only about 10% of the energy from the herbivores being transferred to the carnivores.At the top of the pyramid, we have the apex predators, which are animals that are at the top of the food chain and have no natural predators. Apex predators are the least efficient at converting energy into their own biomass, with only about 1% of the energy from the herbivores being transferred to the apex predators.If humans were to eat only plants, we would be able to bypass the inefficiencies of the higher levels of the food chain. Instead of consuming animal products, which require large amounts of energy to produce, we could consume plant products directly. This would allow us to support a larger population of humans, as we would be able to produce more food with less energy input.Overall, an energy pyramid can help illustrate why a plant-based diet could be more sustainable than a meat-based diet. By eliminating the inefficiencies of the higher levels of the food chain, we could reduce the amount of energy needed to produce food and potentially support a larger population of humans on Earth.