Download Capturing Energy From the Sun

Science 10
Sustainability of Ecosystems
Notes 1 – Capturing Energy From the Sun
Stretch Your Mind…
 Suppose that you eat 0.5 kg of food in one day.
 Why does your body not increase in mass by 0.5
kg?
 How does your body use food?
 Make a list of ten activities for which your body
requires energy. Which activities do you think
require the most energy? the least energy?
Ecology and Ecosystems
 Ecology is the study of the relationships that exist
between living things, and between living things
and their environment.
 An ecosystem includes:
 all of the organisms in an area that interact
with each other, and
 their environment of energy and matter.
Components of Ecosystems
 Ecosystems, then, are made up of two
components:
 Biotic Components: living things
 Abiotic Components: non-living things (i.e. soil,
water, air, and temperature)
 The main focus of ecology is the flow of ENERGY
through an ecosystem.
 Where does this energy come from? How is it
“harnessed”, and what is it used for?
The Sun and Green Plants
 The “fuel” for an ecosystem’s energy comes from
the Sun.
 Sunlight is captured by green plants during
photosynthesis and stored as chemical energy in
carbohydrate molecules.
 Green plants, then, are called producers because
they produce chemical energy (fuel) for the
ecosystem.
 This energy is passed through the ecosystem from
species to species via food chains.
Consumers
 Some animals get their energy by eating plants.
They are called primary consumers or herbivores.
 Others get their energy by feeding on plant-eaters.
They are called secondary consumers or
carnivores.
 All of the biotic components of ecosystems use this
energy to carry out life processes (i.e. respiration,
reproduction, sailing, etc.).
 What is a tertiary consumer? What is an
omnivore?
Decomposers
 Many organisms do not get eaten – at least, not
until after they have died.
 When they die, energy still remains in the tissues
of their bodies. Decomposers break down the cells
and extract the last remaining energy.
 Scavengers feed on larger dead animals.
 Detritivores feed on smaller dead animals,
dead plant matter, and dung.