What is the flow of different chemical elements in an ecosystem and how do chemical substances and energy move through ecosystems?
When one organism eats another, the matter, or carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements, are transferred from one to the other. These elements move from the producers, to the consumers, and eventually to the decomposers, cycling the matter through the ecosystem. Biogeochemical cycle, any of the natural pathways by which essential elements of living matter are circulated. The term biogeochemical is a contraction that refers to the consideration of the biological, geological, and chemical aspects of each cycle. Chemical elements are recycled in an ecosystem. The transitions that chemical elements undergo in ecosystems are called biogeochemical cycles. There are several biogeochemical cycles but the most prominent are the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. In these cycles microorganisms often play a prominent role.Mineral nutrients are cycled through ecosystems and their environment. Of particular importance are water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. All of these cycles have major impacts on ecosystem structure and function. Matter cycles within ecosystems and can be traced from organism to organism. Plants use energy from the Sun to change air and water into matter needed for growth. Animals and decomposers consume matter for their life functions, continuing the cycling of matter. The green plants trap the light energy from photosynthesis, where light energy converts into chemical energy. Gradually the chemical energy is transferred to the consumers through the food chain and food web. The plants absorb the inorganic nutrients from their root hair. A food web is a model of feeding relationships in an ecosystem. When an organism is eaten, the matter and energy stored in its tissues are transferred to the organism that eats it. The arrows in a food web represent this transfer.The energy flow takes place via the food chain and food web. During the process of energy flow in the ecosystem, plants being the producers absorb sunlight with the help of the chloroplasts and a part of it is transformed into chemical energy in the process of photosynthesis. Producers bring energy from the sun into the community. Primary consumers eat the producers, which makes them herbivores in most communities. Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers, which makes them carnivores. Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers. Energy flow in an ecosystem is consistently unidirectional or one way, i.e., solar radiations – producers – herbivores – carnivores. It cannot pass in the reverse direction. There is a decrease in the content and flow of energy with the rise in trophic levels.
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