How does energy move

in ecosystems?
Lesson 5
 Energy from food
• Every organism needs energy to live.
• Different organisms get energy by different ways.
 Energy from food
• When an animal eats, it takes in matter as well as energy stored
in food.
• Energy moves through food chain, or food webs.
• Arrows in the food chain show how energy can flow through an
ecosystem from herbivores to decomposers.
• Food chains can be very short or long.
 Food chains and
webs
• On land the food chains start mostly with
plants
• In oceans food chains start with plankton
(plant-like microorganisms).
• Or in deep-sea vents it starts with bacteria.
 Food chains and
webs
• Food chain is not a complete way
of describing energy flow in an
ecosystem.
• This because consumers usually eat
many kinds of other organisms.
• To see an ecosystem more fully,
look at a food web.
• A food web combines many food
chains into one picture.
 Energy Pyramids
• Energy pyramid is a diagram that shows the amounts of energy
that flows through each level of a food chain.
• Producers have the largest amount of energy in an ecosystem.
• Decomposers are not shown in energy pyramid.
• Going upwards, less energy will flow.
• Some energy cannot flow upwards. (because most energy has
been changed)
• Organisms use most of the energy to warm their bodies and
do activities.
• Their bodies store only a small amount of energy.
Energy Pyramids

• Does energy disappear?

• Why is the energy pyramid

narrower at the top?