Question

Do energy and nutrients (matter) behave similarly as they move through an ecosystem? Explain.

Answer 1

Energy and nutrients both flow through ecosystem. The flow of energy and nutrients involve flow through biotic and abiotic components. Biotic and abiotic components in the ecosystem interact extensively with each other and hence the flow of energy and nutrients occur through these components. Cycling of energy and nutrients occur in the ecosystem.

The flow of energy and nutrients can be described through several trophic levels. First trophic level, involves primary producers such as plants, algae, and some bacteria utilize solar energy to produce organic compounds (nutrients) through photosynthesis (Producers). Next trophic levels include animals that feed solely on plants i.e. herbivourous animals. Next trophic cycle includes predator, carnivorous animals, carnivorous plants that eat herbivorous animals. The food chain thus continues (Consumers).

During the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level, loss of energy from the system occurs. Only about 10 percent of net energy production at one trophic level is passed on to the next level. The energy loss occurs due to activities such as respiration, growth and reproduction, defecation, and natural death in the trophic level. The energy is also lost in the form of heat. The material that is consumed also influences how efficiently energy is transferred. The high quality nutritional material can be converted to new living tissue more efficiently than low-quality nutritional material.

Decomposers i.e. certain bacteria or microbes process large amounts of organic material (dead material of any animal, plant etc). Decomposers return nutrients to the ecosystem in inorganic form. These nutrients are again taken up primary producers and the cycle continues. Energy however, is not recycled during decomposition; it is released in the form of heat.

Thus, energy and nutrient flow occurs through biotic and abiotic components but the recycling and releasing of energy and nutrients in the ecosystem differs.