The correct answer is: D. Charles Elton.
Charles Elton was a British ecologist who is considered one of the founders of modern ecology. He is best known for his work on food chains and trophic levels, which he described in his 1927 book Animal Ecology. Elton also coined the term “ecological pyramid” to describe the relationship between different trophic levels in an ecosystem.
The concept of ecological pyramids is based on the idea that energy flows through an ecosystem in a one-way direction, from producers to consumers to decomposers. Producers are the organisms that capture energy from the sun and use it to create food. Consumers are the organisms that eat producers or other consumers. Decomposers are the organisms that break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil.
Ecological pyramids can be divided into three types: energy pyramids, biomass pyramids, and number pyramids. Energy pyramids show the amount of energy that is available at each trophic level. Biomass pyramids show the amount of living matter at each trophic level. Number pyramids show the number of organisms at each trophic level.
Ecological pyramids are important because they help us to understand the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They can also be used to predict how an ecosystem will respond to changes in the environment. For example, if the number of producers in an ecosystem decreases, the number of consumers will also decrease. This is because there will be less food available for the consumers.
A. Odum was an American ecologist who is considered one of the founders of modern ecology. He is best known for his work on energy flow and ecosystem dynamics.
B. Clements was an American botanist who is considered one of the founders of the field of plant ecology. He is best known for his work on plant succession and the Clementsian climax theory.
C. Tansley was an English botanist who is considered one of the founders of the field of ecosystem ecology. He is best known for his work on the concept of the ecosystem.