46.2 Energy Flow through Ecosystems
3 min read•june 14, 2024
Energy flows through ecosystems in fascinating ways. From plants capturing sunlight to animals eating each other, it's all about transferring and transforming energy. But here's the kicker: at each step, most of the energy is lost as heat.
This energy transfer shapes how ecosystems work. It determines how many animals can survive at each level and how complex the food web can be. Understanding this flow helps us grasp why ecosystems look and function the way they do.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Energy transfer in ecosystems
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- (plants, algae, some bacteria) capture solar or chemical energy through or and introduce it into ecosystems
- Energy transfers from primary producers to via and
- Food chains depict a linear sequence of energy transfer between (grass → grasshopper → bird → hawk)
- Food webs illustrate complex networks of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem, showing multiple pathways of energy transfer and relationships between organisms
- Energy is lost at each trophic level due to heat dissipation, metabolic processes, and incomplete consumption of organisms, typically only about 10% of energy transfers from one level to the next ()
- measures the percentage of energy transferred between trophic levels, influencing overall ecosystem productivity
Impact of energy transfer efficiency
- between trophic levels influences ecosystem structure and function
- Low efficiency limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support, most have no more than four or five levels due to significant energy loss
- Higher efficiency supports more trophic levels and greater organism diversity
- Available energy at each trophic level determines population size and of organisms at that level, more energy supports larger populations and greater
- Energy transfer efficiency affects ecosystem stability and resilience
- More efficient energy transfer leads to more stable and resilient ecosystems
- Inefficient transfer can cause instability and reduced capacity to recover from disturbances
Ecological pyramids for trophic levels
- graphically represent relationships between trophic levels in an ecosystem
- represents the number of individuals at each trophic level
- Some ecosystems have inverted pyramids, with fewer individuals at lower levels than higher (a single tree supports numerous insects, which support fewer birds)
- represents total mass of living organisms at each trophic level
- Usually upright, with greatest biomass at primary producer level and decreasing at higher levels
- Some aquatic ecosystems have inverted biomass pyramids due to high turnover rate of phytoplankton
- represents amount of energy available at each trophic level
- Always upright, with greatest energy at primary producer level and decreasing at higher levels
- Illustrates the 10% rule, showing progressive decrease in energy availability from one level to the next
- , the rate at which energy is stored as biomass by producers, forms the base of these pyramids
Nutrient cycling and decomposition
- facilitate the movement of nutrients through ecosystems
- play a crucial role in breaking down dead organisms and waste, releasing nutrients back into the environment
- ensures the continuous availability of essential elements for ecosystem functioning
Key Terms to Review (29)
10% rule: The 10% rule is a principle in ecology that states that when energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, only about 10% of the energy is passed on, while the remaining 90% is lost, primarily as heat. This concept illustrates the inefficiency of energy transfer within an ecosystem and highlights the limits of food chains and webs.
Assimilation: Assimilation is the process by which organisms incorporate nutrients from food into their own tissues. It involves the conversion of absorbed nutrients into biologically useful forms such as proteins and carbohydrates.
Biogeochemical cycles: Biogeochemical cycles are natural processes that recycle nutrients and elements through the biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (environmental) components of ecosystems. These cycles, such as the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, connect different ecological aspects, influencing species interactions, ecosystem productivity, and nutrient availability in various habitats.
Biomagnification: Biomagnification is the process by which the concentration of toxins increases as they move up through successive levels of a food chain. This phenomenon occurs because predators accumulate higher toxin levels than their prey.
Biomass: Biomass is the total mass of all living organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a certain time. It is an important indicator of energy flow and productivity in ecosystems.
Biomass: Biomass refers to the total mass of living organisms in a given area or volume, often measured in terms of dry weight. It is a crucial component of energy flow through ecosystems, as it represents the organic matter that serves as food for various trophic levels, particularly primary consumers. The conversion of solar energy into biomass through photosynthesis forms the foundation for energy transfer in ecosystems.
Chemosynthesis: Chemosynthesis is the process by which certain organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, convert carbon compounds and other molecules into organic matter using energy derived from chemical reactions, rather than sunlight. This process is crucial for ecosystems that lack sunlight, such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where unique communities of organisms rely on chemosynthesis as their primary energy source.
Consumers: Consumers are organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms, playing a vital role in the flow of energy through ecosystems. They can be categorized based on their feeding behavior, including herbivores that eat plants, carnivores that eat other animals, and omnivores that consume both. As primary, secondary, or tertiary consumers, they help transfer energy up the food chain and contribute to nutrient cycling within their environments.
Decomposers: Decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. In prokaryotes, this role is often filled by certain bacteria and archaea.
Decomposers: Decomposers are organisms, primarily bacteria and fungi, that break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. They play a crucial role in energy flow by converting complex organic substances into simpler compounds, making nutrients available for primary producers like plants to use. This process is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting the growth of new life.
Ecological Efficiency: Ecological efficiency refers to the proportion of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next in a food chain, typically expressed as a percentage. This concept highlights how energy diminishes at each level of the ecosystem, influencing the structure and dynamics of food webs, population sizes, and ecosystem productivity. Understanding ecological efficiency is crucial for grasping how energy flows through ecosystems and the interactions among various organisms.
Ecological pyramids: Ecological pyramids are graphical representations that show the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain. They can illustrate the number of organisms, biomass, or energy content at different levels of an ecosystem.
Ecological Pyramids: Ecological pyramids are graphical representations that illustrate the distribution of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms across different trophic levels in an ecosystem. They help visualize how energy flows through ecosystems, showing that typically, energy decreases as you move up the pyramid from producers to higher trophic levels. Understanding ecological pyramids is crucial for grasping the dynamics of energy flow and the interactions between different levels of the food chain.
Energy flow: Energy flow refers to the transfer of energy through an ecosystem, starting from primary producers and moving through various levels of consumers. This process is fundamental to understanding how ecosystems function, as it illustrates the movement of energy from one trophic level to another, highlighting interactions among organisms and their environment. Energy flow is typically represented through food chains and food webs, which demonstrate the interconnected relationships within ecosystems.
Energy transfer efficiency: Energy transfer efficiency refers to the proportion of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. It is an important concept in understanding how energy flows through ecosystems, as it indicates how much of the energy consumed by organisms at one level becomes available to organisms at the next level, impacting overall productivity and the structure of the ecosystem.
Food Chains: A food chain is a linear sequence that illustrates how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem, showing the transfer of food energy from one organism to another. It connects different trophic levels, starting from primary producers like plants, which convert sunlight into energy, through various levels of consumers, including herbivores and carnivores, ultimately leading to decomposers that break down organic matter. Understanding food chains is essential for grasping how ecosystems function and how energy moves through them.
Food webs: Food webs are complex networks that illustrate how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem, connecting various organisms that interact as predators, prey, and decomposers. They highlight the relationships between different species, showing how they depend on one another for survival. This interconnectedness is crucial for understanding ecosystem dynamics, population control, and energy transfer.
Net consumer productivity: Net consumer productivity is the rate at which consumers in an ecosystem convert the energy they obtain from food into their own biomass. It represents the energy available to the next trophic level after accounting for energy losses through respiration and waste.
Net primary productivity: Net primary productivity (NPP) is the rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy. It is equal to the gross primary productivity (GPP) minus the energy used by the plants for respiration (R).
Net Primary Productivity: Net primary productivity (NPP) is the measure of the rate at which plants in an ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy through photosynthesis, minus the energy they expend during respiration. This concept is essential because it quantifies the amount of organic material available for consumption by herbivores and ultimately supports higher trophic levels in an ecosystem. Understanding NPP helps to explain energy flow through ecosystems and the distribution of biomass across different biogeographic regions.
Net production efficiency (NPE): Net production efficiency (NPE) is a measure of how efficiently organisms convert assimilated energy into biomass. It is calculated as the ratio of net secondary production to assimilation in an ecosystem.
Nutrient Cycling: Nutrient cycling refers to the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter, essential for ecosystem health and sustainability. This process ensures that nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are reused and recycled within ecosystems, supporting growth and maintaining balance among organisms. By facilitating the breakdown of organic material and its conversion into usable forms, nutrient cycling underpins productivity, energy flow, and biodiversity within ecological systems.
Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose, using carbon dioxide and water while releasing oxygen as a byproduct. This process is fundamental to life on Earth as it provides the primary energy source for nearly all living organisms and contributes to the cycling of carbon and oxygen in ecosystems.
Primary producers: Primary producers are organisms, primarily plants and certain microorganisms, that can create their own food through the process of photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. They form the base of the food web by converting light energy or chemical energy into organic matter, which serves as a food source for other organisms in the ecosystem.
Pyramid of biomass: The pyramid of biomass is a graphical representation that shows the total mass of living organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem. It illustrates the amount of biomass available to support life at different levels, emphasizing the decrease in biomass as one moves up the pyramid from producers to top predators. This concept is crucial for understanding energy flow, as it highlights how energy diminishes at each trophic level due to metabolic processes and inefficiencies in energy transfer.
Pyramid of energy: The pyramid of energy is a graphical representation that illustrates the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem. It shows the amount of energy available at each level, typically decreasing as you move up from producers to various levels of consumers. This concept emphasizes the inefficiency of energy transfer, where only about 10% of the energy from one level is passed to the next, highlighting the importance of primary producers in sustaining ecosystems.
Pyramid of Numbers: The pyramid of numbers is a graphical representation that illustrates the number of individual organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem. It visually depicts how the population size decreases from the base (producers) to the top (top predators), highlighting the relationship between energy flow and organism abundance in various ecosystems.
Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE): Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) measures the efficiency with which energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. It is typically expressed as a percentage and reflects the energy loss that occurs at each step in the food chain.
Trophic levels: Trophic levels are the hierarchical positions in a food chain or food web that indicate the flow of energy and nutrients through an ecosystem. They categorize organisms based on their feeding relationships, where primary producers are at the base, followed by primary consumers, secondary consumers, and so on. Understanding these levels is crucial for grasping how energy moves through ecosystems and how different species interact within their environments.