Energy in Ecosystems

The Sun!
?The source of all vigor for ecosystems is the Sun.
?30% is reflected by clouds or the earths control surface
?70 % warms the surface of the planet.
?Plants use 0.023 % of this energy in photosynthesis (the abut by which green plants use sunlight energy to complimentson away up carbohydrate/sugars)
Photosynthesis
?Many organisms (plants) can convert light energy into chemical substance energy using this process
?This is a vital chemical process, without it, most life on Earth would not constitute!
?Plants produce energy-rich SUGAR for food and OXYGEN that is vital for air-breathing organisms
carbon dioxide + water light energy sugar + oxygen
trophic Levels
?We can begin to understand energy flows by categorizing liveness things by their trophic level in their ecosystem.
First Trophic Level
?Organisms that can make their own food
?They are called producers or autotrophs (Greek word meaning self- functioner)
Second Trophic Level
?Contains organisms that feed on the producers
?They are called primary consumers
?Primary consumers rely on autotrophs directly for their source of energy.




Third Trophic Level
?Contains organisms that feed on the primary consumers
?They are called secondary consumers
?Rely indirectly on autotrophs
Consumers
?Consumers, at whatever trophic level, are sometimes called heterotrophs (they cannot make their own food.)
Limits to the mensuration of useable energy transferred in a feeding sequence:
First Law of Thermodynamics
?Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed.
?e.g. radiant energy from the sun is transformed into chemical energy in food, by plants.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
?each time energy is transformed some of it is transformed into an useless form (mostly as heat).
?Most of the energy received at each trophic level is used up in just surviving (breathing, eating, lifting your books to school costs energy!).
?Therefore, the amount of energy available in each step of the food...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com



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