Essay on How Organisms Are Able to Control the Flow of Energy Within an Ecosystem

The aim of this paper is to discuss how organisms are able to control the flow of energy within an ecosystem. An ecosystem refers to a complex organizational level which contains the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of the earth; and the interrelationships between these two components. The biotic components include animals and plants while the abiotic factors comprise of features such as buildings, roads, electronic devices, and clothes among others. The main source of energy in an ecosystem is the sun; energy from the sun is utilized by the plants which are the producers in the ecosystem. Plants then use the light energy from the sun to produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis which combines carbon dioxide and water to form sugars (glucose). Because of the plants ability t\o produce their own food, they are referred to as autotrophs. Consequently, after plants make their own food, they are fed on by animals which are referred to as herbivores or the primary consumer; herbivores are then eaten by carnivores which become the secondary producers and the chain continues. Organisms which cannot make their own food such are herbivores and carnivores are referred to as heterotrophs. The systematic organizations of organisms from levels are low as the producer to the higher classes of consumers is referred to as a food chain. The producers are always at the bottom of the food chain, while the secondary, tertiary, and the quaternary consumers lie at the top of the food chain. Up the food chain, energy is lost as heat or stored in compounds at each trophic level during the metabolic processes of the organism. Ultimately, the systematic flow of energy in the ecosystem tends to drive the various mechanisms through which nutrients move within the ecosystem (Chapin III, Matson, & Vitousek, 2011). Nutrients refer to chemical compounds and elements that are essential for living organisms. Nutrients, unlike energy cycle through the ecosystem between the biotic and abiotic components via biogeochemical cycles. The nutrients acquired by living organisms from the feeding of plant sources undergo several processes referred to as pathways which breakdown the food components to generate energy by the process of respiration. Respiration can be aerobic or anaerobic depending on the conditions of the cell; aerobic respiration occurs in the presence oxygen while anaerobic respiration occurs in the absence of oxygen. The process of respiration takes place mainly in the mitochondria; and it occurs in three pathways: glycolysis, citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain (Pimentel, 2012).

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References

Chapin III, F. S., Matson, P. A., & Vitousek, P. (2011). Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology. Springer Science & Business Media.

http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/ecosystem.htmlPimentel, D. (Ed.). (2012). Food and energy resources. Elsevier.