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Energy Moves Through Ecosystems
The need for energy also connects all living things in an ecosystem. When plants capture the sun’s energy and turn it into chemical energy stored in glucose through photosynthesis, they are performing an important function. That energy will get passed between organisms as they eat one another. The path that energy travels as one organism eats another is called a food chain.
Food chains always begin with energy from the sun and then move to plants and other producers. Producers are organisms that capture energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. When organisms eat one another, some of that energy that started with the sun gets passed along.
Eating for Energy
When squirrels eat nuts, they get some of the tree’s energy. Squirrels are consumers because they must eat other organisms for energy and nutrients. All animals are consumers. Food also gives animals the materials they need for body repair and growth. For example, when animals eat plants, they absorb some of the plants’ glucose. They also absorb some of the carbon atoms that the plant had stored for its growth and development.
There are different kinds of consumers, depending on what an organism eats. Any animal that eats producers is called a primary consumer. Butterflies are primary consumers that eat the nectar of plants. Primary consumers are also called herbivores.
Carnivores eat only other animals. Coyotes are common carnivores that eat many different kinds of animals. Coyotes eat deer, sheep, rabbits, rodents (like squirrels), snakes, and fish.
Other animals eat both plants and animals. These are called omnivores. Squirrels are omnivores. They eat nuts, fruits, and seeds, which are all plants. They also eat insects and caterpillars, which are other animals.
Any organism that eats primary consumers is called a secondary consumer. Any organism that eats a secondary consumer is called a tertiary consumer. Omnivores and carnivores can be either secondary or tertiary consumers, depending on what they eat.
When animals and plants die, living things called decomposers will eat their remains. Decomposers are organisms that break down organic material and feed on the nutrients. They put nutrients (matter) back into the ground. Plants will then use those nutrients to grow. Bacteria, worms, and fungi are common decomposers in a food web.
As energy flows from the sun to producers and then to consumers and decomposers, it always moves in one direction. A food web is a visual that shows the network of food chains in an ecosystem. It shows the complex set of relationships between organisms that are linked by the flow of energy. Because energy flows in one direction, life requires a constant supply of energy from the sun.
Matter Cycles Through Ecosystems
In contrast to energy, matter is always cycling through ecosystems. Most of the matter that is on Earth today has been around since the planet first formed. Matter is transferred and recycled at every level of a food web. All organisms need to take in new matter to keep their cells healthy and functioning. The nutrients an organism takes in help the organism grow, develop, and reproduce.
Water is also cycled throughout an ecosystem. Plants absorb water through their roots. They release some of that water back to the environment through transpiration. Animals drink water, and then release some of the water back into the environment as part of their waste.
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