ENERGY FLOW AND MATERIAL CYCLING OF ECOSYSTEM

ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM:

# Energy ism the most essential requirement of all living organisms. Solar energy
is the main source of an energy for any ecosystem. The plants are utilized a small
fraction of the total solar energy for photosynthesis process.

# In photosynthesis process plants absorb solar energy, CO2 and H20 to prepare
carbohydrate and liberation of O2. In photosynthesis process solar energy is transferred
to the chemical energy.

# The flow of energy is always one way that is unidirectional. The energy flow in as
ecosystem follows the two basic principles of thermodynamics.

- Thermodynamics is the study of energy and its interconversion.

First law of thermodynamics:

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. But one form of energy can be
converted into another form.

Second law of thermodynamics:

It's state that whenever energy is transferred from one to another, there is an
increase in entropy and a decrease in the amount of useful energy.

# Energy flows through various levels in a ecosystem. This can be

illustrated with the help of the following flow chat

Solar energy

Producers

Primary Consumers (Herbivores)

Secondary consumers (Carnivores)

Other order consumers (Carnivores)

 Radiation
Sun Producers Chemical Consumers
Energy (Metabolism) Energy

Heat Energy

Chemical Decomposers
Energy (Metabolism)

Energy flow in the ecosystem

FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB:

Food chain:

# In a food chain each organism eats the smaller organism and is eaten up by
larger one. All those organisms which are interlinked with each other through food
together constitute a food chain.

Different species in a food chain are called trophic levels. Each food chain
has three main trophic levels - Producers, Consumers and Decomposers.

Sunlight Plants Herbivores Carnivores

(Producers) (Primary (Secondary
Consumers) Consumers)
Some more food chains are:

Grass Rabbit Man

Grass Mouse Snake Eagle

Food Web:

# Various food chains are often inter-linked at different trophic levels to form a
complex interaction between different species from the point of view of food. This
network like interaction is called the food web.
Fox

Rabbit
Mouse
Snake
Grass Hawk

Grasshopper Lizard
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS:

# In Ecosystem food chain process starting from the producers to the consumers a
regular decrease in the properties or characteristics of the organisms.

Since some energy is last as heat in each steps becomes progressively smaller
near the ecological pyramid. The ecological pyramids represent the trophic structure
and also trophic function of the ecosystem.

The pyramids are generally of three types.

1) Pyramid of Numbers
2) Pyramid of Energy
4) Pyramid of Biomass

10 10 Kg
10
Lions Large
Lion
fishes
50
Wolves 100 Kg
Small fishes
100
Deers 1000 Kg
Fish larva
Grasses
1000000 10000 Kg
Algae Autotrophs

Pyramid of Numbers Pyramid of Biomass

5 K Cal
Tertiary
Consumers

50 K Cal
Secondary
Consumers

500 K Cal
Primary Consumers

5000 K Cal
Autotrophs

Pyramid of Energy
ENERGY AND MATERIALS FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM:

Energy plays an important role in an ecosystem.

1. The efficiency of the producers in absorption and conversion of solar energy.

2. Chemical energy is uses up by the plants for their activities.
3. The total input of energy in the form of food and partially in the form of
respiration.
4. The loss through respiration as heat etc.,