Energy flow and nutrient cycling are important processes that help shape how ecosystems work.

1. Energy Flow:

• It all starts with the sun, which gives energy to producers like plants. These plants use sunlight through a process called photosynthesis to make their food.
• This energy then travels through the ecosystem in food chains. For example, a plant is eaten by an herbivore, like a rabbit, and then that rabbit is eaten by a predator, like a fox.

2. Nutrient Cycling:

• Nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen are recycled in different ways.
• For instance, when plants die, decomposers, like worms and bacteria, break them down. This process puts nutrients back into the soil, which helps new plants grow.

Together, energy flow and nutrient cycling help keep ecosystems balanced and support a variety of living things. They show us how everything in nature is connected.