Energy Flow In Ecosystem and Its Significance
The movement of energy through living organisms in an environment is referred to as energy flow. Check this article to know all about Energy Flow in Ecosystem and Its Significance.
Jasdeep Bhatia18 Apr, 2024
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The sun is the only energy source for all ecosystems on Earth, except the deep sea hydrothermal ecosystem. Plants and photosynthetic microorganisms (autotrophs) fix the Sun's radiant energy to produce food from simple inorganic components.
Also, this solar energy gathered by plants moves across diverse organisms in an ecosystem. Thus it is important to know the basics of energy flow in the ecosystem.Energy Flow In Ecosystem
All organisms rely on producers for food, either directly or indirectly. As a result, energy flows unidirectionally from the sun to producers and finally to consumers. Producers are the green plants in the environment. Starting with the plants (or producers), food chains or webs evolve in which an animal feeds on a plant or another animal and becomes food for another. Because of this interdependence, the chain or web forms. No energy that is trapped in an organism lasts forever. As a result, the energy trapped by the producer is either passed on to a consumer or the organism dies. Thereafter, the detritus food chain/web begins with the death of an organism.Food Chain and Food Web
A food chain includes the following components:- Producers are the green plants in the environment. Herbaceous and woody plants are the primary producers in a terrestrial ecosystem. Similarly, producers in an aquatic ecosystem include a variety of organisms such as phytoplankton, algae, and higher plants. These plants provide sustenance for all animals (directly or indirectly).
- Then comes the consumer. Consumers are called primary consumers if they feed on the producers (plants) and secondary consumers if they eat other animals who feed on plant produce. Some tertiary consumers feed on the secondary.
- Herbivores will undoubtedly be the primary consumers. In terrestrial ecology, common herbivores include insects, birds, and mammals, and in the watery ecosystem, mollusks.
- Likewise, consumers can be any omnivore or carnivore. A classic example of a grazing food chain (GFC) will explain this -
- Grass → Goat → Man
- The detritus food chain (DFC) starts with decomposing organic matter. It is composed of heterotrophic decomposers, primarily fungi and bacteria. These are also called saprotrophs.
- They get energy and nutrients from decomposing dead organic debris or detritus. They release digestive enzymes that break down dead and waste materials into simple, inorganic molecules that they ingest.
- At some levels, the DFC gets linked to the GFC and forms a food web.
Trophic Levels
Organisms have a certain position in the food chain known as trophic level based on the source of their nourishment.- Producers - First trophic level
- Herbivores - Second trophic level
- Predators - Third trophic level.
Unidirectional Energy Flow
With the above details, it is confirmed that energy flow in an ecosystem is always unidirectional, i.e., solar radiations → producers → herbivores → predators. It cannot travel in the opposite direction. The energy is often lost in the form of heat when going from one trophic level to the next to preserve an organism's homeostasis. Therefore, each succeeding trophic level receives less energy than the preceding.Law of Thermodynamics
Energy transformation in ecosystems can be explained using thermodynamic laws, effective in closed systems. A direct relationship between energy flow and thermodynamics is discussed below.Double Fertilization In Angiosperms
First Law of Thermodynamics According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be generated or destroyed. In this case, the source of energy, solar energy, cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be moved from one system or form to another. Second Law of Thermodynamics According to the second law, a portion of the energy is wasted into the surroundings as heat energy during the transition. This also holds in the energy flow process.Related Links -
Significance of Energy Flow
All species in an ecosystem function due to the energy flow. The ecosystem's very functioning depends on the flow of energy (which begins with solar radiation) and the cycling of materials. After that, the ecosystem is maintained stable through the process of energy transfer. Also, the energy becomes less at the higher level of the food chain. This explains why apex carnivores like tigers, leopards, and giant whales are the first to become endangered when their ecosystems are threatened by humans. As a result, the significance of energy flow for the survival of an ecosystem is clear. Thus an ecosystem cannot function without the concept of energy flow.Related Links -
Energy Flow In Ecosystem <span style=
Define the food web
A food web is composed of many interlinked food chains. Often, a single organism is consumed by a large number of predators, or it consumes several other organisms. Thus a food web is comparable to a food chain. However, it is significantly larger and more complex.
What are the several stages of energy flow in an ecosystem?
Energy flow in food chains can be defined as the transmission of energy from one creature to the next, beginning with autotrophs and progressing up the chain as animals consume one another. Thus the energy flows from producers to primary consumers to secondary to tertiary consumers.
What is the term given to the flow of energy in an ecosystem?
The feeding or nutrition level from producers to consumers is called trophic. The energy goes in only one direction (unidirectional) via the various trophic levels.
What are the laws that govern the flow of energy in an ecosystem?
The two laws of thermodynamics typically govern the energy flow in an ecosystem. They are nothing but the law of conservation of energy and the law of increased entropy.
What is the 10% law in energy flow, and who proposed it?
Lindemann formulated the 10% law of energy transfer in a food chain. According to him, approximately ten percent of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level while the rest is used for metabolic activity and lost as heat in the environment.
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