Energy Flow - Ecosystem

Our world is a solar-powered system, and green plants are the entry gates of energy into ecosystem. The total incoming solar energy, only a very small fraction is absorbed by plants. And on this small fraction of sunlight trapped by plants is built the entire living world. In this section we shall discuss with you as to how the different biotic components of an ecosystem are related in terms of energy. Any organism derives its energy from the 'food' it consumes. And you know that all organisms cannot make their own food and only the producers have the capacity to do so.

Therefore, various organisms in an ecosystem must fulfil their energy needs by relying on producers directly or indirectly. In other words we can say that energy flows from the first trophic level, that is, from producers to the subsequent trophic levels. In an ecosystem energy is transferred in an orderly sequence.