energy in an ecosystem
Storyboard Text
- Energy from the sun is absorbed by producers, organism like grass, trees, etc. These producers use this energy to make sugars (food) and O2 using a process called photosynthesis.
- This deer, a primary consumer, is eating the grass, a producer, and gaining its energy. But it only gains 10% of its energy because the rest was used so the producer could survive.
- This coyote is a secondary consumer. In this ecosystem, the coyote eats the deer but has to eat more because, again, only 10% of the energy is passed on. The rest of the deer corpse is decomposed by decomposers like fungi, bacteria, which recycle the energy and matter for producers to use again
- (Cougar)
- One tertiary consumer in this ecosystem is a cougar. Cougars eat deer, coyotes, birds, and more. They are at the top of the food chain/web and don't have any natural predators. They have to eat a lot more prey because of the 10% rule. They eat a lot more so that they have enough energy and matter. In this scenario, once they are done eating, the decomposers, decompose the animal corpses and return the nutrients to producers.
- All the decomposed nutrients, matter. and energy that wasn't lost to heat, is returned to the soil where it is recycled. Decomposers break down dead, organic material, while worms, beetles, etc. are detritivores. They eat the dead organisms and waste.
- This is all happening at once. The exchange of matter and energy between organisms and trophic levels is constant. Producers are constantly "producing", consumers constantly "consuming", and decomposers constantly "decomposing. All the arrows pointing away from the organisms is heat energy that is lost. In the comic, organisms like earthworms (detritivores or decomposers) are constantly benefiting from the dead organisms and consumption of other organisms. the deer benefits from eating the grass, the coyote benefits from eating the deer, and the cougar benefits from eating the coyote. The plants and other producers benefit from all the nutrients the decomposers put into the soil.
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