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Energy Flow

Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis, where producers like plants convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in food. Consumers obtain this energy by eating producers or other consumers, and decomposers break down dead organisms, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem. This transfer of energy between organisms can be modeled in food chains and food webs. Most of the energy is lost as heat at each transfer, resulting in fewer organisms at higher trophic levels in ecological pyramids. Major biogeochemical cycles like the water, carbon, and oxygen cycles circulate essential elements through the biosphere, driven by the metabolic activities of producers, consumers, and decomposers.

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Heather Clarchick
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164 views

Energy Flow

Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis, where producers like plants convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in food. Consumers obtain this energy by eating producers or other consumers, and decomposers break down dead organisms, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem. This transfer of energy between organisms can be modeled in food chains and food webs. Most of the energy is lost as heat at each transfer, resulting in fewer organisms at higher trophic levels in ecological pyramids. Major biogeochemical cycles like the water, carbon, and oxygen cycles circulate essential elements through the biosphere, driven by the metabolic activities of producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Uploaded by

Heather Clarchick
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM

2. Ecosystems and Biomes


 2.1 Energy Flow
 2.1.1 Energy roles
 Consumer
 Producers
 Decomposer
 2.1.2 Food Chain and Food web
 2.1.3 Energy Pyramids
 2.2 Cycles of Matter
 2.2.1 Water cycle
 2.2.2 Carbon and oxygen cycles

.
Where does the energy come
from?
Organisms and Energy

 All the energy on


Earth comes from the
sun!!
Producers
 Organisms that use
the energy from the
sun to produce their
own food.
 Ex: Plants, algae and
some bacteria.
Photosynthesis
Consumers
 Organisms that obtains energy by feeding
on other organisms.
 3-Types
1. Herbivores
2. Carnivores
3. Scavengers and decomposers
Herbivores
 Heterotrophs that
consume plants only.

 Ex: cows, deer,


rabbits…

 (First order
consumers)
Carnivores
 Heterotrophs that
consume other
animals.
 Ex: Humans, cats…

 (Second… order
consumers.)
Scavengers
 Feed on dead
organisms.

 Ex: vultures
Decomposers
 Break down wastes
and dead organisms
and return the raw
materials to the
ecosystem.

 Ex: Bacteria and


fungus
Are the decomposer nature´s
recyclers?
 While obtain energy for their own
needs, decomposer return simple
molecules to the environment. These
molecules can be used again by other
organisms.
How does energy flow through the
ecosystem???

 In ONE direction only

 The movement of the energy through the


ecosystem can be show in diagram called
food chain
Sun-Producers-Consumers-Decomposers-
Released as heat

Autotrophs

Third-order
heterotrophs Second-order
First-order heterotrophs
heterotrophs
Decomposers
Food chain and Food web
 The energy enter as sunlight and converted
to food molecules by producer.
 After this energy is transfer to each
organism that eat a producer
 And to another organism that feed on these
consumers.
Food Chain
 DEFINITION: It´s a
series of events in
which one organism
eats another to get
energy

 The figure represent a


simplest exchange of
energy.
Videos
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHFdl0PzFiE
 http://www.youtube.com
 d
Food Web: Many interconnected and
overlapping food chains
Food Web

FOOD WEB
Ecological Pyramids

 Shows how energy flows through the


ecosystem
Energy Pyramid
 Shows the amount of
energy that moves
from one feeding level
to another in a food
web
 Only 10% of the
energy is passed onto
the next level.
Energy Pyramid

 The most energy is


available at the
producer level of the
pyramid
 As you move up the
pyramid, each level
has less energy
available than the
level below.
Cycles of the matter
 What is a cycle?  What are some
example of cycles?
 Is a series of things
that repeat over  Water cycle
and over again  Oxygen cycle
 Carbon dioxide
cycle
Nutrients
 Nutrients cycle
through the
ecosystem, never
disappearing. nutrients nutrients

nutrients
Water Cycle
 3 parts…
1. Evaporation
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation
Evaporation
 The process by which molecules of liquid
water absorb energy and change to a gas

 From oceans, lakes, river.


 From living things: Leaves of trees, liquid
wastes and when you exhale.
Condensation
 This process by which a gas changes to a
liquid.
 When the gas rises the atmosphere , it cool
down and a little drop are formed.
 The water droplets collect around particles
of dust , eventually forming clouds.
Precipitation
 To more water condenses the drop grow
larger and heavy then fall back to earth as
precipitation.

 Over ocean and lake


 When fall in land may soak and become
groundwater.
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Class work
 See the video and complete the worshhet.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=U3SZKJVKRxQ
Carbon cycle
Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen and carbon cycle
These two elements are essential to the life
on the earth
In ecosystems the process of carbon and
oxygen cycles are linked
Producers, consumers, and decomposers
play important roles in recycling carbon and
oxygen.
Carbon cycle
 The cycle can start when producers take in
carbon dioxide gas from the air and
release oxygen during photosynthesis.
 They take the carbon and make food
molecules such as sugar and starches to
get energy
Carbon cycle
 When consumers eat producers, they take
in the carbon-containing food molecules to
obtain energy.
 The consumer break down the carbon
compounds in a process called respiration
in this time they release
 Then carbon dioxide is cycled back into
the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
Oxygen cycle
 The oxygen is found through the ecosystems
 Producers release oxygen in the
photosynthesis process.
 The organisms take the oxygen from air or
water and use it to carry out their life
process.
Human Impact (Released CO2)
 Industrial pollutions, when people burn oil
or fuels.
 Clear forests and burn
 Less trees – less absortion f CO2 from the
environment.

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