Energy flow
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| producers/prəˈdjuːsəz/ | Organisms that make organic substances from inorganic materials, usually using light or chemical energy. |
| photosynthesis/ˌfəʊtəʊˈsɪnθəsɪs/ | The process by which plants and other organisms use light energy to make organic substances from carbon dioxide and water. |
| food chain/fuːd tʃeɪn/ | A sequence showing how energy and matter pass through feeding relationships from one organism to another. |
| consumers/kənˈsuːməz/ | Organisms that obtain organic matter and energy by feeding on other organisms or their products. |
Where all the energy comes from
- Almost all the energy in living things can be traced back to one source: the Sun.
- Following that energy through an ecosystem is the heart of ecology.
The original source of energy for almost all ecosystems is the:
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Producers capture the Sun's energy.
Producers 生产者 capture the energy
- Producers (green plants) capture light energy by photosynthesis 光合作用.
- They turn it into chemical energy stored in glucose — the food that feeds everything else.
A food chain 食物链: arrows show energy passing from producer to consumers 消费者
Energy flow through a food chain
Energy from the Sun enters living things through plants, then passes along the food chain — losing a lot at each step.
Producers capture energy by:
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Green plants photosynthesise to store energy.
Green plants that make their own food and start a food chain are called ______.
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Producers are the first link in a food chain.
Energy passes on
- Consumers get their energy by eating producers or other consumers.
- Energy flows from the Sun → producers → consumers along a food chain.
A savanna ecosystem: organisms linked by feeding relationships
Energy is lost between stages of a food chain mainly as:
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Respiration, movement and waste lose energy as heat.
Energy is recycled within an ecosystem, just like nutrients.
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False. Energy flows through an ecosystem and is lost as heat at each level, so it must be resupplied by the Sun. Only nutrients are recycled.
Energy is lost at each step
- At every stage, energy is lost as heat (from respiration), movement and waste.
- So less energy is available the further along the chain you go.
Energy flows; it doesn't cycle. Unlike nutrients (carbon, nitrogen), energy is lost at each step and must be constantly resupplied by the Sun. It is not recycled.
You've got it
- nearly all energy comes from the Sun, captured by producers (photosynthesis)
- consumers get energy by eating; energy flows Sun → producers → consumers
- energy is lost at each step (heat, movement, waste) — it flows, it doesn't cycle
Write from energy that does not cycle
- A plant captures light.
- A herbivore eats the plant and loses heat.
Where does the energy enter, and why is it not recycled like carbon?
Lost heat does not return as usable food energy.
Which statement matches energy in a food chain?
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Energy passes along and leaks away as heat.