Energy flow in an ecosystem is a really interesting process that shows how different living things interact with each other. It all starts with sunlight. Plants, which are called producers, use sunlight to make their food through a process called photosynthesis. They change sunlight into energy and store it in their cells.
Let’s look at how energy moves through the different levels in an ecosystem:
Producers (Trophic Level 1): These are the plants that soak up sunlight and turn it into energy. Examples include grasses, trees, and tiny water plants called phytoplankton. They are the main source of energy in an ecosystem.
Primary Consumers (Trophic Level 2): These are herbivores, like rabbits, deer, and some tiny creatures like zooplankton. They eat the plants and get energy from them. However, they only use a small part of the energy from the plants, usually about 10%.
Secondary Consumers (Trophic Level 3): At this level, we find carnivores that eat the herbivores, like foxes that catch rabbits. They get even less energy from their food, usually around 1% of what the plants provided.
Tertiary Consumers (Trophic Level 4): This level includes top predators like eagles and sharks. They receive the least amount of energy, which is about 0.1%.
We often represent this energy flow with a pyramid called the energy pyramid. It shows how energy decreases as you move up each level. This highlights how energy transfer isn’t very efficient and how important each level is to keep the ecosystem balanced.
Energy flow in an ecosystem is a really interesting process that shows how different living things interact with each other. It all starts with sunlight. Plants, which are called producers, use sunlight to make their food through a process called photosynthesis. They change sunlight into energy and store it in their cells.
Let’s look at how energy moves through the different levels in an ecosystem:
Producers (Trophic Level 1): These are the plants that soak up sunlight and turn it into energy. Examples include grasses, trees, and tiny water plants called phytoplankton. They are the main source of energy in an ecosystem.
Primary Consumers (Trophic Level 2): These are herbivores, like rabbits, deer, and some tiny creatures like zooplankton. They eat the plants and get energy from them. However, they only use a small part of the energy from the plants, usually about 10%.
Secondary Consumers (Trophic Level 3): At this level, we find carnivores that eat the herbivores, like foxes that catch rabbits. They get even less energy from their food, usually around 1% of what the plants provided.
Tertiary Consumers (Trophic Level 4): This level includes top predators like eagles and sharks. They receive the least amount of energy, which is about 0.1%.
We often represent this energy flow with a pyramid called the energy pyramid. It shows how energy decreases as you move up each level. This highlights how energy transfer isn’t very efficient and how important each level is to keep the ecosystem balanced.