How does energy flow in an ecosystem

Energy flow in an ecosystem is typically unidirectional and non-cyclic, moving from producers to consumers.

• Producers (autotrophs, mainly photosynthetic organisms) capture energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy.
• This energy is then transferred to primary consumers (herbivores) when they eat producers.
• Secondary consumers (carnivores) obtain energy by eating primary consumers, and tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers.
• At each trophic level, a significant portion of energy (about 90%) is lost as heat during metabolic processes, with only about 10% transferred to the next level.
• Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down dead organic matter from all trophic levels, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem but not recycling energy.