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Ecosystems: Nutrient Cycling and Energy Flow
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Ecosystems: Nutrient Cycling and Energy Flow
Importance of Nutrient Cycling to an Ecosystem
- Nutrients must be carefully conserved within an ecosystem because only plants can produce them.
- Transformation of matter from one form to another.
- Transfer elements from one location to another.
- Storage of elements.
- Regulation of the flow of substances
Importance of Energy Flow to an Ecosystem
- The energy that flows through an ecosystem starts as solar energy, is converted to chemical energy and is finally lost as heat energy.
- We know from Newton's third law of thermodynamics that energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
- Organisms in an ecosystem cannot create energy hence the need for it to be transferred among oganisms after it is taken from the sun.
- Energy flow in an ecosystem ensures that each trophic level has sufficient energy for the organisms to feed and perform their niche.
Energy Flow vs Nutrient Cycling
- Nutrient cycling can be defined as the use, movement and recycling of nutrients in an ecosystem.
- It is a cyclic process.
- Nutrients are not lost upon transfer between trophic levels.
- Earth is the source of all nutrients.
- Reservoir pools of nutrients occur on earth.
- Includes the interaction of abiotic and biotic factors.
Energy Flow vs Nutrient Cycling
- Energy flow can be defined as the transfer of energy among trophic levels.
- The flow of energy is unidirectional and non-cyclic
- Energy is lost at every trophic level to metabolic processes.
- Primary energy source is external.
- Microorganisms have little role in the flow of energy.
What is an ecosystem?
- An ecosystem may be defined as a system or community of biotic and abiotic factors which interact with each other extensively.
- Biotic factors - living eg. plants, animals, microorganisms
- Abiotic factors - non-living eg. wind, water,sunlight
- An ecosystem is self-sustaining i.e. they maintain themselves by cycling energy and nutrients
The biotic components of an ecosystem can be classified as:
- Producers
- Primary consumers
- Secondary consumers
- Tertiary consumers
- Detritivores
- Decomposers
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