Energy and Living Things

Introduction Organisms can be either producers or consumers in terms of energy flow through an ecosystem. Producers convert energy from the environment into carbon bonds, such as those found in the sugar glucose. Plants are the most obvious examples of producers. Other producers include bacteria living around deep-sea vents. These bacteria take energy from chemicals coming from the Earth's interior and use it to make sugars. Other bacteria living deep underground can also produce sugars from such inorganic sources.

Roles of Producers Producers trap solar energy and convert it into chemical energy in the form of food They are the providers of energy for the consumers They produce their energy from inorganic compounds Many producers are green plants

Role of Consumers The consumer (autotroph) consumes this producer (or other consumers) and obtains the energy from them This continues through the trophic levels of a food web with energy being passed through

Role of Decomposers Decomposers are organisms that use dead plant and material as food They break down the material and then they get the energy they need to live Decomposers are plants such as bacteria and fungi, most of them are microscopic They are referred to as the janitors of nature

Relationships of Organisms Organisms are all related by the food chain One organism (the producer) makes the food Then another organism (the consumer) eats the producer Then another organism (the decomposer) eats the consumer after it dies

How Dead Animals and Plants Are Broken Down Dead animals are broken down by processes initiated by detrivores that consume dead matter and digest some of its organics while excreting the remainder as more waste.

More on Decomposers Decomposers are a special subset of detrital feeders that breakdown organic compounds into inorganic forms outside their bodies then absorb what they need. This is the work of fungi and bacteria that other organisms cannot complete

Photosynthesis Organisms need energy to survive. Some organisms are capable of absorbing energy from sunlight and using it to produce sugar and other organic compounds such as lipids and proteins. The sugars are then used to provide energy for the organism. This process, called photosynthesis, is used by plants and some protists, bacteria, and blue-green algae.

Photosynthesis (cont.) In photosynthesis, solar energy is converted to chemical energy. The chemical energy is stored in the form of glucose (sugar). Carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight are used to produce glucose, oxygen, and water.

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