How can a small biomass of producers support a larger biomass of consumers?

If one sheep weighs 50 kg, then on average, it would consume 1500 g of dry matter (DM) per day, or about 3% of its body weight. If a field has 120 g of DM per square meter, then each sheep would require 12.5 square meters of grazing per day to survive; to visualize that amount, pace out 3.1 m by 4 m.

The key words here are renewal time: a sheep can reproduce once every year, live for about eight years (if you let them), and a grass can regenerate itself in a few weeks—that is, provided you don't use chemicals or other methods to eradicate it.

A small biomass of producers can support a larger biomass of consumers through the process of energy transfer along the food chain or food web. Producers, such as plants or algae, convert solar energy into organic compounds through photosynthesis. This energy is then passed on to primary consumers, such as herbivores, which consume the producers. Secondary consumers, such as carnivores, then feed on the primary consumers. Each trophic level in the food chain or web utilizes a portion of the energy stored in the organic matter of the previous level, allowing for the transfer of energy from producers to consumers. Despite losses in energy at each trophic level due to metabolic processes and heat loss, the cumulative energy available from producers can support a larger biomass of consumers through efficient energy transfer and utilization within ecosystems.