Energy in Ecosystems

Discover how energy flows through ecosystems! Learn about producers, consumers, and food chains.

How does energy move in ecosystems? An organism requires energy to move. Growth, reproduction, and other life functions require energy. Most of the energy for life on Earth comes from the Sun.Energy does not cycle through ecosystems like matter does. Energy flows in one direction. In most cases, energy flow starts with the Sun. It moves from one organism to another organism. Many organisms get energy by eating other organisms.Organisms can change energy into different forms of energy. Not all the energy an organism gets is used for life processes. Some is released into the environment as thermal energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Its form can change though. This idea is called the law of conservation of energy. What do we call living things that make their own food from materials in their environments? consumers producers What do we call organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms? consumers producers Types of consumers Herbivores eat only producers Carnivores eat other animals Omnivores eat both producers and other consumers Which organisms get their energy by eating the remains of other organisms? Carnivores Herbivores Detritivores Omnivores Sort the following organisms into the correct category: herbivores, carnivores, omnivores Herbivores Deer Giraffe Rabbit Carnivores Lions Wolves Shark Omnivores Chicken Bear Human Detritivores Mushrooms Dung beetles Earthworms Vocabulary Photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions that convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into the food energy molecule glucose and give off oxygen Chemosynthesis the process during which producers use chemical energy in matter rather than light energy to make food Food web a model of energy transfer that scientists use to show how food chains in a community are interconnected Food chain a model that shows how energy flows in an ecosystem through feeding relationships Energy pyramid a model that scientists use to show the amount of energy available in each step of a food chain