Energy flow in an ecosystem (Updated)

All living things need energy.

Some living factors also called biotic factors get their energy from the sun. Others get their energy by eating other biotic factors and some living things like decomposers break down once living things and recycle nutrients.

 As a result, energy is always flowing in an ecosystem.

This flow of energy can be represented with food chains and food webs.

For most ecosystems, the ultimate energy source is the sun

However there are some organisms that get their energy  from reactions involving inorganic chemicals, and typically in the absence of sunlight.This is called chemosynthesis

Producers which use photosynthesis  or chemosynthesis to create their energy are a major source of energy in an ecosystem. All Plants are examples of producers.

Consumers like the krill eat the producers, carbon bonds are broken and energy is released and this energy is transferred from one trophic level to another.Cod eat the krill and their energy is passed to the cod. The seal eats the cod and the orca eats the seal.

As you move from one trophic level to another you lose approximatly  90 percent of the energy.

This is known as the 10 percent rule.

For example, if you start with 10100 kcal and move up trophic levels, by the time you get to the hawk only 1 kilocal is transferred to the hawk.

Where does this energy go?

Most of the energy is lost as heat.

The energy flow in an ecosystem follows the laws of thermodynamic.

The first law states that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system however it can be converted from one form to another.

The second law states that this energy conversion is never completely efficient.

As a result, most energy is lost as heat.

What is an Ecosystem?

Energy flow in an Ecosystem

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Autotrophs and Heterotrophs

When you eat a slice of pizza you are transferring energy from the sun. This may surprise you but the sun is the original source of energy for your body.So let’s take a look at the difference between an autotroph that gets energy directly from the sun and a heterotroph that gets energy indirectly from the sun from other sources, like a pizza.

All  plants and  other organisms that produce their own food in an ecosystem are called autotrophs or self feeders.

An autotroph is an organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce food.

The most common autotrophs are plants. Plants take sunlight along with water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose in a process called photosynthesis.The glucose is then used as energy. Bacteria and some protists also use photosynthesis to produce glucose which is then used to produce energy.

Where there is no sunlight some organisms like giant tube worms use bacteria found inside them  and then oxidize hydrogen sulfide, add carbon dioxide and oxygen, to produce sugar, sulfur, and water.

Autotrophs are also called producers.

Autotrophs are the foundation of all ecosystems. 

A heterotroph is an organism that gets its energy requirement by consuming other organisms.

They are also called consumers.

A heterotroph that eats only plants is called a herbivore.

Heterotrophs that eat other heterotrophs are called carnivores. Examples would include lions and wolves.

An organism that eats plants and animals are omnivores. 

Examples includes bears and humans.

Decomposers like bacteria and fungi are also classified as heterotrophs. They play a very important role in an ecosystem because they recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Two types of decomposers are detritivores which eat fragments of dead matter. Examples include worms, dung flies, sea cucumbers, and sea stars. 

Saprotrophs are organisms that feed by absorbing dead organic matter. Most saprotrophs are bacteria and fungi. 

Anytime you see something rotting like this log you know a saprotroph is hard at work.

Plant Kingdom

Types of Natural Selection

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Fantastic Owl Facts

In many middle school science classes and even in high school students will dissect owl pellets in order to see what the owl eats and to help their understanding of a food web. 

Listed below are several interesting factual statements about owls.

• Several owls are named a parliament. 
• Owls hunt various other owls. Great Horned Owls will be the leading predator of the smaller Barred Owl.
• The tiniest owl on the globe may be the Elf Owl, which is 5 - 6 inches tall and weighs about 1 ounces. 
• The greatest North American owl, in appearance, may be the Great Gray Owl, which is up to 32 inches tall.
• The Northern Hawk Owl can detect-mainly by sight a rodent to consume up to a half of a mile away.
• Barn Owls swallow their prey whole-skin, bones, and all,and they consume at least one 1,000 mice each year.
• There are 200 species, plus they are all birds of prey. 
• Most of them are solitary and nocturnal.
• They will be the only large group of birds which hunt during the night. Owls are experts at night-time hunting.
• They prey on small mammals such as rodents, insects, and other birds, and a few species prefer to eat fish as well.
• They are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica, the majority of Greenland, plus some other small islands.
•  Their heads and necks up to 270 degrees in both directions
• The owls' key to hunting is surprising its prey.
• Their most important adaptation is their almost silent flight. 
• The feathers are soft, with fringes on the trunk edge,and this all muffles noise, and makes for silence. 
• They glide to arrive for the kill.
• The dull colors of the owls' feathers make sure they are less obvious by camouflaging the owl. 
• Owls have fantastic hearing.

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