A new sustainable poultry feed has been developed to replace imported soy meal for laying hens. In this system, black soldier fly larvae (insects) are reared on discarded fruit and vegetable waste from supermarkets. These larvae are then harvested and fed to laying hens as a high-protein feed source.
Sketch a pyramid of biomass for the food chain that results in biomass for the laying hens. Label all three levels of the pyramid.
Describe two reasons why the biomass of the black soldier fly larvae consumed by the laying hens does not all become biomass of the laying hens.
Explain how producing poultry feed from black soldier fly larvae reared on supermarket food waste, rather than using imported soy meal (which involves clearing rainforests for soy plantations), can improve human food security in the future.