Energy in the Environment

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Energy in the Environment

• Unit 1
• Environmental Science 1

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Energy Flow

• The sun is the main source of energy for our
  planet
• The sun makes life possible for humans, animals,
  plants, fungi, bacteria and other single cell
  organisms

3
Energy Flow

• Energy is the ability to do work
• All living things need energy to survive
• Most energy in the environment is stored in the
  form of chemical energy
• Chemical energy is stored in chemical bonds and
  the energy is released when the bonds are broken

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Energy Flow

• Chemical energy is transferred in the form of
  mechanical energy
• Mechanical energy is energy of movement
• Energy can be transferred
• In the environment, energy is usually transferred
  through consuming food
• However, plants do no consume food therefore,
  they use a process called photosynthesis to
  produce food

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Energy Flow

• Energy transfer is never 100 efficient
• Energy is lost through heat
• More energy is lost as energy is transferred
  through the system

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Producers

• Producers are organisms capable of creating their
  own energy
• Energy from the sun is transferred to the plant
  and the plant creates energy
• The process is called photosynthesis
• Plants are generally our main source of
  producers, but also includes algae and fungi
• Plants use the sun's energy to create sugars

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Primary Consumers

• Primary consumers eat plants
• If a primary consumer eats only plant they are
  called herbivores
• When a primary consumer eats plants, energy is
  transferred from the plant to the consuming
  organism
• Energy is transferred in the form of chemical
  energy
• Energy is lost through heat

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Secondary Consumers

• Secondary consumers eat organisms that are
  primary consumers
• If an animal only eats other animals they are
  called carnivores
• The total amount of energy is less with the
  transfer from primary to secondary consumer
• That means there is less energy available to
  secondary consumers and even less to tertiary
  consumers (secondary consumers that eat other
  secondary consumers)

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Decomposers and Detritivores

• Decomposers an organism that breaks down
  nutrients in the environment
• Examples bacteria and fungi
• Detritivores feed on the remains of dead plant
  and animal material
• Examples earthworms, snails, crabs

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Food Chains

• A food chain shows the transfer of energy from
  one organisms to another

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Energy Pyramid

• A energy pyramid shows how much energy is
  transferred
• In an energy pyramid there are more organisms at
  the bottom and fewer at the top
• Because energy is lost as you move through the
  food chain there are not many animals at the top
  of food chain

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Food Webs

• Food webs show how energy is transferred in an
  ecosystem

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Food Webs

• The greater number of organisms in a food web the
  more stable the environment is
• Usually, the warmer the environment the greater
  number of plants and animals and the cooler, the
  less number

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Predator-Prey Relationships

• Predators
• Are usually at the top of the food chain
• The bigger the predator the greater the chance
  are becoming endangered
• There is less energy available at the top of the
  food chain

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Predator-Prey Relationships

• Prey
• Are eaten by the predators
• The predator-prey relationship will cycle

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Other Relationships

• Symbiotic relationship two organisms living
  together as one organism
• Mutualistic relationship between two species
  where both benefit

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Other Relationships

• Commensalism relationship where one species
  benefits and the other is unaffected
• Parasitic relationship where one species
  benefits and the other is harmed