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4.2 Energy Flow

This document discusses energy flow through ecosystems. It explains that: 1) Light is the primary energy source for most communities and is converted to chemical energy through photosynthesis by producers at the first trophic level. 2) Energy is transferred as heterotrophs feed by obtaining chemical energy from organic molecules in other organisms. Only about 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels with 90% lost as heat. 3) This restricts food chain length and limits biomass at higher trophic levels, as shown by pyramids of energy which depict available energy decreasing between levels by a factor of about 10 due to inefficient energy transformations during feeding.

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Kaleab Gebreegizabiher
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83 views1 page

4.2 Energy Flow

This document discusses energy flow through ecosystems. It explains that: 1) Light is the primary energy source for most communities and is converted to chemical energy through photosynthesis by producers at the first trophic level. 2) Energy is transferred as heterotrophs feed by obtaining chemical energy from organic molecules in other organisms. Only about 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels with 90% lost as heat. 3) This restricts food chain length and limits biomass at higher trophic levels, as shown by pyramids of energy which depict available energy decreasing between levels by a factor of about 10 due to inefficient energy transformations during feeding.

Uploaded by

Kaleab Gebreegizabiher
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic 4.

2: EnERGy FLOW
Energy Flow Trophic Levels

Energy Source An organism’s trophic level refers to the position it occupies


Light is the initial energy source for almost all communities within a feeding sequence
•  Some producers derive energy from chemical processes •  Producers always occupy the first trophic level

Light energy is converted into chemical energy (i.e. organic


Trophic Level Organism
compounds) via the process of photosynthesis
1 Producer
Energy Transfer 2 Primary Consumer
Heterotrophs obtain their chemical energy by feeding
3 Secondary Consumer
•  The energy stored in organic molecules is released via
cellular respiration (in heterotrophs and autotrophs) 4 Tertiary Consumer

Feeding Patterns

Food Chains Food Webs


Food chains show linear feeding patterns between the Food webs show interrelated feeding patterns
species in a community •  Most species have multiple food sources and hence will
•  Arrows indicate the direction of energy flow occupy multiple trophic levels

Producer Primary Secondary Tertiary


Consumer Consumer Consumer

Energy Loss Pyramids of Energy

Not all the stored energy is transferred upon feeding – most Pyramids of energy are representations of the amount of
of the energy released via cell respiration is lost as heat energy available at each trophic level
•  Organisms cannot convert heat into other energy forms •  Measured in energy units per area per time (kJ m2 year–1)
and hence the heat is lost from the ecosystem
Pyramids of energy can never be inverted and their levels
Only ~10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level should differ by a factor of ~10
to the next (90% is lost as heat or is unconsumed) •  Because energy transformations are ~10% efficient
•  These energy losses restrict the length of food chains
and limit the biomass of higher trophic levels
10 J
SIMPLE FOOD CHAIN
100 J

1,000 J

10,000 J

100 L 10 L 1L 100 mL 1,000,000 J of sunlight


ENERGY FLOW OVERVIEW

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