ENERGY Flow

What is Energy? Something that gives usable power Capacity to do work Energy can take different forms Kinetic, Potential, Mechanical, Chemical, Radiant, Thermal, etal.

Law of Conservation of Energy total energy of an isolated system cannot change—it is said to be conserved over time. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but can change form; for instance, chemical energy can be converted to kinetic energy.

Primary energy source on Earth is: The Sun

The Sun Sunlight is the main, or primary energy source for life on Earth Less that 1% of the total solar energy reaching the Earth’s surface is used by living things Photosynthesis

Chemical Some organisms can get and use energy from inorganic compounds Inorganic – means not containing carbon/ hydrocarbon chemical compounds of life Chemosynthesis

Autotrophs Producers Get energy from the Sun or inorganic chemicals, and convert this to usable energy for their life

Heterotrophs Consumers Get energy from other living organisms

Food Chain Series of steps of energy transfer as one organism eats another.

Food Web More complex than a food chain. Multiple feeding relationships and interactions

Trophic Levels Each step of a food chain or web. Producers are the first step Consumers are the 2-3-4-etc levels, depending on what they eat Herbivore would be a 2nd level Something eating only a herbivore would be 3rd, and so on

Ecological Pyramids Only 10% of the energy from a lower trophic level is available, or transferred to the next higher level The number 1 loss to the pyramid is due to heat