SUBJECT : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

SUBMITTED To : Dr Rajeev Kumar Mishra

Submitted By : Vinayak Jain (2K22/EE/299)
SUBMISSION DATE:
 UNIVERSAL ENERGY FLOW
MODEL
E.P. Odum (1968) gave Universal Energy Flow Model (Fig. 7.5) which represents
the basis for a general explanation of ecosystem trophic flows. The model can
be applied to any living component, whether it is plant, animal, microorganism,
individual, population or trophic group. Such a model may depict food chain as
already shown in previous models or the bioenergetics of an entire ecosystem.
In the figure, the living structure or biomass of the component is represented
as the shaded box. Further, I is the ingested energy which is solar radiation in
case of autotrophs and ingested food in case of heterotrophs. Since not all the
energy supplied is utilized, the lost part is called as energy not utilized (NU).
The assimilated energy (A) is known as gross production.

Part of A is used for system structural maintenance, that is the respiration (R),
and the other part is transformed into organic matter (P), known as net
production. P is the energy available for other individuals or trophic levels.
Individuals use part of the net production for growth (G) or, in the case of
populations or trophic levels, for biomass accumulation (B). A part of net
production can be stored (S) to at individual level in the form of organic
compounds of higher energetic content (lipids) or, at ecosystem level, as a
nutrients deposit or detritus. Some production can be excreted by individuals
or, analogously, exported from the ecosystem (E).
The universal energy flow, can be used in two ways: i) The model can represent
a species population in which case the appropriate energy inputs and links with
other species would be shown as a
conventional species oriented food web diagram or ii) the model can represent
a discrete energy level in which case the biomass and energy channels
represent all or parts of many populations supported by the same energy
source. Foxes, for example, usually obtain part of their food by eating plants
(fruits etc.) and part by eating herbivores (rabbit, field mice model etc.). A
single box diagram (Fig 7.5 a) could be used to represent the whole population
of foxes if to express intrapopulation energetic. On the other hand, two or
more boxes (Fig 7.5 b) may be used if we wish to represent two or more trophic
levels. Energy partitioning between P and R is of vital importance to the
individual and species. Different organisms have different patterns of energy
consumption. Large organisms require more maintenance energy as they have
more biomass to maintain. The warm blooded animals (birds and mammals)
require more energy than the cold blooded animals. Predators use a large part
of assimilated energy in respiration than herbivore, to find and overcoming the
prey. The species adapted to unstable, recently derived or under populated
area, generally allocate a large portion of their energy to reproduction. The
species adapted to stable and more favorable habitats, allocate little energy to
reproduction.
ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCIES: -
Ecological efficiency can be defined as the product of efficiencies in which
organisms utilize their food resources and convert them into biomass for next
higher trophic level. The amount of energy reaching each trophic level depends
on the net production of the primary producers at the base of the food chain
and the extent of energy transfer at each trophic level. Ecological efficiency is
dependent on two factors: the proportion of assimilated energy incorporated
in growth, storage and reproduction. The first proportion is called as
assimilation efficiency and second is net production efficiency. The product of
the assimilation efficiency and net production efficiencies is called as gross
production efficiency. It is the proportion of food energy that is transformed
into consumer biomass energy. Net production efficiency of plants is the ratio
of net production to gross production. This index varies between 30-85%,
depending on habitat and growth form. The rapidly growing plants in
temperate zones have high net production efficiencies (75 - 85%). Similar
vegetation types in the tropics exhibit lower net production efficiencies,
perhaps 40-60% respiration increases relative to photosynthesis at low
latitudes.
According to Singh et al, 2015, some of the important efficiencies are given
below:
Assimilation efficiency: This is a measure of efficiency with which a consumer
population extracts energy from the food ingested.
= [energy fixed by plants/light absorbed] x 100 (For plants)
= [Food energy absorbed (assimilated)/food energy ingested] x 100 (For
animals)Utilization or Consumption efficiency: This is the proportion of total
productivity available at a trophic level that is actually consumed by the
organisms of a succeeding trophic level.
= [ingestion at trophic level n/net production at trophic level n-1] x 100
Growth or Production efficiency: This is the efficiency with which the
assimilated energy is
incorporated into the protoplasm.
= [Production at trophic level n /assimilation at trophic level n] x 100
Ecological Growth efficiency:
= [Production at trophic level n /ingestion at trophic level n] x 100
Transfer efficiency:
= Production at trophic level n /production at trophic level n -1
The nutritional value of plant foods is determined by the amount of lignin,
cellulose and other
indigestible materials present in the plant. The animal food is more easily
digested when compare with
plant food. Assimilation efficiency can vary in different predatory species from
60-90%. The vertebrate prey species can be digested efficiently as compared to
insect prey. This is because the insects have larger proportion of indigestible
exoskeletons of body than the hair, feathers and scales of the vertebrates.
Moreover, the assimilation efficiencies of insectivores can differ in between 70-
80%, and most of the carnivores have about 90% efficiency. In warm
homoeothermic (warm-blooded) animals, energy is needed for maintenance,
movement and heat production that otherwise could be utilized for growth
and reproduction. The homoeothermic animals exhibit low net production
efficiency. For example, birds show less than 1% and small mammals with high
reproductive rates

exhibit up to 6% of net production efficiency. However, sedentary

poikilothermic animals (cold-blooded) of aquatic species can direct up to 75%
of their assimilated energy into the growth and reproduction.
CONCLUSION: -
The ultimate source of energy for all ecological systems is Sun. The solar energy
is captured by the green plants and transformed into chemical energy and
bound in glucose as potential energy during the process of photosynthesis. In
this stored form, other organisms take the energy and pass it on further to
other organisms.
The flow of energy in ecosystem follows first and second law of
thermodynamics.
The solar energy is captured and converted by green plants into chemical
energy, confirming
first law of thermodynamics.
As the energy flows through the food chain, there occurs dissipation of energy
at every trophic level. The loss of energy takes place through respiration, loss of
energy in locomotion, running, hunting and other activities. At every level
there is about 90% loss of energy and the energy transferred from one trophic
level to the other is only about 10%.
The energy flow models link the trophic levels with each other showing the
inputs and losses of energy at each trophic level.

The flow of energy in an ecosystem takes place through the food chain and it is
this energy flow which keeps the system going. The most common feature of
this energy flow is that it is unidirectional or one-way flow or single channel
flow.
Single Channel Energy Flow Model depicts that the flow of energy is
unidirectional and non-cyclic and at each tropic level there is progressive
decrease in energy as heat in the metabolic reactions and also some of the
energy is utilized at each tropic level.
The double channel or Y-Shaped energy flow model depicts the simultaneous
working of grazing and detritus food chains in an ecosystem.
In nature, both grazing and detritus food chains are inter-connected in the
same ecosystem. For example, dead bodies of small animals that were once
part of grazing food chain become incorporated in the detritus food chain as do
the faces of grazing food animals.
Universal Energy Flow Model represents the basis for a general explanation of
ecosystem trophic flows. The model can be applied to any living component,
whether it is plant, animal, microorganism, individual, population or trophic
group.
Ecological efficiency can be defined as the product of efficiencies in which
organisms utilize their food resources and convert them into biomass for next
higher trophic level.