Energy Flow Through Ecosystems Ecosystem and Energy Roles

Energy Flow Through Ecosystems

Ecosystem and Energy Roles n n Ecosystem: all living & non-living things that interact in an environment Energy Role in an Ecosystem q Determined by: n n How it obtains energy How it interacts with other living organisms in its ecosystem

Some Energy Roles n n The sun: provides energy Producers: harness energy from the sun q n Consumers: organisms that eat something else q n ex. plants ex. animals Decomposers: return energy to the environment q ex. fungus, bacteria

Some Energy Roles n n The sun: provides energy Producers: harness energy from the sun q ex. Plants

Some Energy Roles n n The sun: provides energy Producers: harness energy from the sun q n ex. plants Consumers: organisms that eat something else q ex. animals

Some Energy Roles n n The sun: provides energy Producers: harness energy from the sun q n Consumers: organisms that eat something else q n ex. plants ex. animals Decomposers: return energy to the environment q ex. fungus, bacteria

Producers n n Plants harness energy from the sun through photosynthesis They are the base of every food chain q Source of food for all other animals

Consumers n 4 Types q Herbivore: eats only plants

Consumers n 4 Types q Herbivore: eats only plants q Carnivore: eats only meat

Consumers n 4 Types q Herbivore: eats only plants q Carnivore: eats only meat q Onmivore: eats plants and animals

Consumers n 4 Types q Herbivore: eats only plants q Carnivore: eats only meat q Onmivore: eats plants and animals q Scavenger: carnivore that feeds on bodies of dead organisms

Decomposer n Decomposers break down wastes and dead organisms and return the raw materials to the environment q Ex. Bacteria, fungi

Energy flow through biological systems

Food Chains n Food Chain: series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy

Food Chains Continued n n n Arrows always points in the direction of energy flow 1 st organism is always the producer 2 nd organism is the consumer that eats the producer q n 3 rd organism is the consumer that eats the 1 st level consumer q n Primary consumer Secondary consumer And so on…. .

Energy Pyramid n 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics: energy is not transferred from one object/organism to the next with 100% efficiency q n Some of the energy is lost to the environment Energy Pyramid shows the amounts of energy that moves from one level to the next

Sample Energy Pyramid

Energy Transfer n n Only about 10% of energy is transferred from one level to the next The other 90% is used by the organism to carry out its life processes or it is lost to the environment