Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
The sun is the natural source of energy.
The energy is trapped by the green plants for photosynthesis.
This process produces food which is potential energy in chemical form e.g. glucose.
Green plants are therefore known as producers in any ecosystem.
Green plants are eaten by animals e.g. herbivores. Herbivores are usually referred to as primary consumers.
Herbivores are eaten by carnivores, usually referred to as secondary consumers e.g. dogs.
The secondary consumer is eaten by a tertiary consumer e.g. leopard.
When the leopard dies, it is eaten by a vulture, which is referred to as a quaternary consumer.
These feeding levels are referred to as trophic levels.
When living organism die, they are decomposed by bacteria and fungi which are referred to as decomposers.
The energy moves from one trophic level to the next.
As energy moves from one trophic level to the next, some energy is lost in form of heat.
Some energy is also lost through respiration, excretion or defecation.
When organic materials are fully decomposed, all the energy is lost from the ecosystem. Thus energy flows through an ecosystem and it is not recycled.
