Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Energy flow

• Movement of energy through an ecosystem

• The process of photosynthesis

• The transfer of nutrients in soil

• The cycle of water in the environment

Producers

• Organisms that make their own food (e.g., plants)

• Organisms that consume other organisms for energy

• Organisms that decompose dead matter

• Organisms that rely on sunlight for energy

Food web

• Complex network of interconnected food chains

• Simple linear sequence of food producers

• A type of food chain with only herbivores

• A diagram showing only predator-prey relationships

Herbivores

• Animals that eat plants

• Animals that eat meat

• Animals that eat both plants and meat

• Animals that do not eat at all

Food chain

• Linear sequence of who eats whom

• A complex network of food webs

• A diagram showing energy flow

• A list of all organisms in an ecosystem

Decomposers

• Organisms that break down dead material

• Organisms that produce energy through photosynthesis

• Organisms that consume living plants and animals

• Organisms that store nutrients in the soil

Energy transfer

• Movement of energy from one organism to another

• The process of energy being created

• The storage of energy in an organism

• The conversion of energy from one form to another

Abiotic factors

• Living components of an ecosystem

• Non-living components of an ecosystem

• Biotic interactions within an ecosystem

• Chemical processes in an ecosystem

Primary consumers

• First trophic level, carnivores

• Second trophic level, herbivores

• Third trophic level, omnivores

• Fourth trophic level, decomposers

Consumers

• Organisms that produce their own energy

• Organisms that eat other organisms for energy

• Organisms that decompose dead matter

• Organisms that rely solely on sunlight for energy