ENERGY FLOW IN AN

ECOSYSTEM
• The unidirection flow of electromagnetic radiations of the
sun and their conversion into biochemical energy from
first tropic level i.e producer to the subsequent other
tropic levels of an ecosystem is known as energy flow.
• Sun is the main source of energy
• Sun is the main source of energy which extend radiations
from high frequency to low frequency about 99% of total
energy is the region between ultraviolet and infrared.
Primary source of energy in all
ecosystem is the sun
• 34% solar radiation are reflected 10% by ozone and other
gases and only 56% reach the surface of the earth
• Only 1% of these radiations is used by the plants in
photosynthesis in synthesizing organic food.
• 6CO2 +12H2O C6H12O6 + 16O2 + heat
• Chemical energy produced is stored in plant tissues, a part
of this energy is used by the plants for photosynthesis
activities and the rest is transferred to next tropic level
Food Chain
• The path of energy through the tropic levels of an
ecosystem is called a Food Chain.
• Food chain starts with producers (plants, algae, bacteria)
which use sunlight and convert it to food energy.
• The most obvious aspect of nature is that the energy must
pass from one living organisms to the other.
• A food chain starts with what gets eaten, like a fly is eaten
by a bird . A food chain shows animals eat other animals or
plants.
Producers
• Producers use the energy of the sun to build energy rich
carbohydrates.
• Solar energy provides practically all energy for
ecosystem.
• Plants are called producers, because they make their
own food inside themselves.
• Producers use cellular respiration to supply the energy
they need to live.
Energy transfer from Producer to
Consumer
• The energy that is not used by producers can be passed
on to organisms that cannot make their own energy.
Consumers
Consumers are those who do not make their own
food, but get it from eating plant or other animals.
Two types:
• Primary Consumers
• The organisms that consume producers are called
primary consumers.
• They are also called Herbivores (plant eaters)
• Most of the energy which primary consumers gets is from
the producers and and is used by the consumers
• Secondary consumers
• all the third tropic level we have secondary consumers.
• Secondary consumers are animals that eat other animals.
• These animals are called carnivores(animal eaters)
Secondary consumers :

• May be carnivore or herbivore

• May be a predator
• May be a scavenger
Top consumer
• Top consumers are not eaten by any other consumer.
• They are the top of the food chain.
• They can be primary, secondary or tertiary consumers.
Tertiary consumers
• Many ecosystems contain a fourth tropic level made up of
carnivores that consume other carnivores called tertiary
consumers.
• The hawk that eats a snake is tertiary consumer unless a large
bird eats the hawk.
Omnivores:
some animals such as bears eat both plants and other animals.
They are both herbivores as well as carnivores.
They are called as Omnivores.
Examples: human being,bear etc
Herbivores
• Consumers that eat producers to get energy are first order
or primary consumers
• They are also called herbivores. They survive on plants.
Examples: cows, horses, mice etc
Detritivores:
Detritivores are organisms that obtain energy from organic
wastes and dead bodies produced at all the tropic levels.
They are the decomposers of the food chain.
Decomposers
• They break down remains of dead organisms.
• They play very important role in ecosystem.
• These decomposers include bacteria, worms, fungi and
some insects.
• Decomposition of bodies and wastes releases nutrients
back into environment to be recycled by the other
organisms.
• This helps release trapped energy (in the form of carbon)
in dead organisms back to the earth.
 Scavengers
• Consumers that eat other consumers that have
already died are called scavengers they clean the
environment.
Thank you