Matter and Energy in Nature

Matter and Energy in Nature

All living things need matter and energy; that is why they interact among themselves in nature.

How do plants get their food?

Organisms which are AUTOTROPHS produce their own food using LUMINOUS ENERGY.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS (1)

• Luminous Energy is captured by a green pigment called CHLOROPHYLL

• Water absorbed from the soil by the roots goes up through the stem towards the leaves

• Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by the leaves through tiny pores called STOMATA

Photosynthesis (2)

• The food the plant needs is produced in the green parts of the plant where Photosynthesis takes. This food is called GLUCOSE.

• Because of this process the plant releases OXYGEN to the atmosphere through the stomata.

Photosynthesis Equation

H2O+CO2+SUN LIGHT = GLUCOSE+O2

How do animals feed?

Animals, including Human Beings, need nutrients to live and grow.

What processes allow animals and human beings to get the food they need to live?

Animals and Human beings are HETEROTROPHS.

Heterotrophs are organisms that eat other organisms to get their nutrients.

Animals are classified according to the food they eat.

• HERBIVORES: they eat plants

• CARNIVORES: they eat other animals

• OMNIVORES: they eat plants and animals

• DECOMPOSERS: they break down dead organisms or the wastes of living things. 

Where does energy come from?

All the energy that living things require comes from the sun. This energy is captured by the PRODUCERS to make organic matter.

How does Matter and Energy flow in the Ecosystem?

Energy flows from the PRODUCERS to the CONSUMERS (and/or to the DECOMPOSERS). Part of this energy is used by the organisms to carry out their activities, while the other part of this energy is dissipated to the ecosystem as HEAT and it is not used by the living things again.

FOOD CHAINS

They represent the way the organisms interact through food and how matter and energy flow in Nature. A Food Chain is compose by TROPHIC LEVELS.

FOOD WEBS

In Nature, organisms from one species can be food for many other species. This way the Food Chains become crisscrossed giving origin to FOOD WEBS.

Ecological Relationships

Animal behaviour and ecologycal interactions: the day-to-day lives and ecological relationships of different species

ECOLOGYCAL RELATIONSHIPS

• COMPETITION—when two or more organisms rely on the same environmental resource

• PREDATION—behavior of one animal feeding on another

• SYMBIOSIS—the close relationship of two dissimilar organisms. Symbiotic relationships can be of 3 kinds: Mutualism, Comensalism and Parasitism

SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS

• MUTUALISM—a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit

• COMMENSALISM—a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and one does not benefit but is unharmed

• PARASITISM—a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and one is harmed