Question

The driving force for an ecosystem is
A. Biomass
B. Producers
C. Carbohydrates in producers
D. Solar energy

Answer 1

Hint:
Everything that surrounds us is the environment consisting of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors. Earth supports life and the part responsible for it is the biosphere. Ecosystem is a broader term in which a community or a group of living organisms interact with each other and the interaction of the living organisms with the environment is called ecology.
 Plants and animals are interdependent on each other maintaining a balance in the ecosystem in the form of food chain and the flow of energies in different levels.

Complete answer:
Our planet is a mega diversified place where various types of organisms and their biomass play an important part in the ecosystem but it is not the driving force as it is the mass of living biological organisms. It refers to species biomass, bacterial biomass, ocean biomass which makes different food chains and different trophic levels. The ecological pyramid depicts the amount of biomass at each trophic level.
As from the name, the part which initiates the food chain by making food for themselves and other organisms at upper levels. Plants are autotrophic and hence they are able to synthesize their own food by utilising carbon dioxide and water in presence of sunlight (solar energy) and combining them to produce sugar and releasing oxygen for respiration.
Producers create food by utilising inorganic matter. The consumers are dependent on the producers which are solely dependent on solar energy for the vital processes. Hence producers are not the driving force as these are dependent on solar energy for photosynthesis.
The end product of the food making process of the producers result in the formation of carbohydrates (sugar) which in turn is used as the source of energy (ATP) and the excess sugar is stored in the form of starch. Respiration occurs when sugars are produced but again carbohydrates are not the driving force photosynthesis is must and produces glucose (sugar) and without solar energy the process cannot be complete.
Environment is full of resources such as Light, air, water, land which have been utilised according to our needs and these are the abiotic factors. Sun being the primary resource of energy is the driving force as the main component for the producers to undergo the process of making their own food is light from the Sun which is trapped by chlorophyll and thus the producers are dependent on the solar energy thereby initiating the food chain which is the main part of the ecosystem.

Hence option D is the correct answer.

Note: Solar energy is the energy generated by the sun. It can be harnessed directly or indirectly for human use. Electricity consumption has been a key concern and thus solar power, solar batteries; solar cookers are definitely making an alternative to reduce the amount of electricity consumption as the Sun is a natural resource and is renewable. Sun is the natural nuclear reactor. No greenhouse gases are emitted in using solar energy which is of a great impact on the environment saving the ecosystem from harmful effects.