Give an account of energy flow in an ecosystem.
Give an account of energy flow in an ecosystem.
In an ecosystem, the constant supply of energy is required.
(i) Sun is the only source of energy for all ecosystems on Earth.
(ii) Plants and photosynthetic and chemosynthetic bacteria (producers), fix only 2 to 10 % of solar energy and store it in their tissues.
(iii) When these plants are consumed by herbivores, only 10% of the stored energy from producers is transferred to herbivores. The remaining 90% of the energy is used by plants for various processes such as respiration, growth and reproduction.
(iv) Similarly, only 10% of the energy of herbivores is transferred to carnivores. This is known as 10% law of energy flow.
(iii) All organisms are dependent for their food on plants, either directly or indirectly. It means there is a unidirectional flow of energy from the sun to producers and then to consumers.
(iv) The energy trapped by the producer is either passed on to a consumer or to the decomposer (in case the plant dies) through two types of food webs-grazing food web and detrital food web that cross-connect many times.
In an ecosystem, the constant supply of energy is required.
(i) Sun is the only source of energy for all ecosystems on Earth.
(ii) Plants and photosynthetic and chemosynthetic bacteria (producers), fix only 2 to 10 % of solar energy and store it in their tissues.
(iii) When these plants are consumed by herbivores, only 10% of the stored energy from producers is transferred to herbivores. The remaining 90% of the energy is used by plants for various processes such as respiration, growth and reproduction.
(iv) Similarly, only 10% of the energy of herbivores is transferred to carnivores. This is known as 10% law of energy flow.
(iii) All organisms are dependent for their food on plants, either directly or indirectly. It means there is a unidirectional flow of energy from the sun to producers and then to consumers.
(iv) The energy trapped by the producer is either passed on to a consumer or to the decomposer (in case the plant dies) through two types of food webs-grazing food web and detrital food web that cross-connect many times.
