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[30 June 2014]

Transcript

[2 December 2014]

Transcript

Ecosystems

Ecosystems are sustained by supplies of energy and matter.

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Coral reef ecosystems demonstrate how continuous supplies of energy and matter sustain ecological communities. Solar energy enters the system through photosynthesis by zooxanthellae (algae living within coral polyps) and other primary producers, converting light into chemical energy that flows through the food web. Simultaneously, ocean currents deliver essential matter: dissolved nutrients like nitrates and phosphates, particulate organic material, and minerals needed for coral skeleton formation. This constant input of energy from the sun and matter from surrounding waters maintains the reef's extraordinary biodiversity, supporting everything from microscopic plankton to apex predators like reef sharks. Remove either supply - block the sunlight or halt the nutrient flow - and the entire ecosystem begins to degrade, illustrating the fundamental dependency of ecosystems on external inputs of both energy and matter.

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The direction of the energy flow in an ecosystem is unidirectional. It flows from the primary source of energy i.e. the sun's light energy to producers or autotrophs which then transferred to the consumers. The producer uses the solar energy to produce organic food which flows through a series of trophic levels. Each trophic level captures a portion of this energy for its metabolic needs, while the rest is passed to the next level. The flow of energy follows the following pathway;

Solar Energy→ Producer (autotrophs)→ Consumer (herbivores)→ Consumer (carnivores)→ Consumer (higher levels of carnivores)

The first law of thermodynamics

The first law of thermodynamics states that as energy flows through ecosystems, it can be transformed from one form to another but cannot be created or destroyed.

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