Question

How would you describe the movement of energy in an ecosystem?

Answer 1

Hint: The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy needed by all living organisms. This energy is transmitted to various trophic levels along the food chain. This energy flow is based on two different thermodynamics laws.

Complete answer:
The energy flow in the ecosystem is one of the main factors that contributes to the survival of such a large number of organisms. For almost all organisms on earth, solar energy is the primary source of energy. It's amusing to find that we're receiving less than 50% of the effective sunlight on Earth. When we say effective radiation, we mean radiation that can be used by plants to carry out photosynthesis.

Most of the sun's radiation falling on the earth is usually reflected back into space by the earth's atmosphere. This effective radiation is referred to as Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR). Overall, we receive about 40 to 50 per cent of the energy that has Photosynthetic Active Radiation and only about 2 to 10 percent of it is used by plants for photosynthesis.

As a result, this percentage of PAR supports the entire world, since plants are producers in the ecosystem, and all other organisms are either directly or indirectly dependent on them for their survival.

The energy flow takes place through the food chain and the food web. During the process of energy flow in the ecosystem, when plants are produced, they absorb sunlight with the help of chloroplasts and part of it is transformed into chemical energy in the process of photosynthesis.

This energy is stored in various organic products in plants and passed on to primary consumers in the food chain when herbivores (primary consumers) consume plants as food. As a result of the conversion of chemical energy stored in plant products into kinetic energy, energy degradation will occur by converting it to heat.

Then the secondary consumers followed. Further degradation will occur when these herbivores are ingested by first-order carnivores (secondary consumers). Finally, when tertiary consumers consume carnivores, energy will be degraded again. Thus, the flow of energy is unidirectional in nature.

In addition, the energy flow in the food chain is governed by the 10% law. According to this law, only 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the other; the rest is lost in the atmosphere. This is clearly explained in the figure below and is represented as an energy pyramid.

Ecosystem producers and consumers can be divided into different feed groups and are known as the trophic level or the level of feed.

The first trophic level is represented by the producers (plants).
- Herbivores (primary consumers) have a second trophic level.
- Primary carnivores (secondary consumers) are the third trophic level
- Top carnivores (tertiary consumers) are the last level

The 10% Energy Flow Act states that when the energy is passed from one trophic level to another, only 10% of the energy is passed to the next trophic level.

Note: The energy flow is the amount of energy that is moving along the food chain. This energy flow is also known as the caloric flow.The flow of energy in the ecosystem is critical for maintaining ecological balance. Photosynthesis is used by the producers to synthesise food. A portion of the energy is stored in plants. The remaining energy is used by plants for growth and development. When the producers are fed, the stored energy is transferred to the primary consumers. This energy is then passed on to secondary consumers, who in turn feed on primary consumers, and so on.