Ecosystem Nutrition and Energy Flow

The series of populations or organisms, of an ecosystem, through which food and energy contained in it passes with each member becoming the food of the later, is called a food chain.

The pyramid of energy, represents the total amount of energy consumed by each trophic level. An energy pyramid is always upright, as the total amount of energy available for utilization in the layers above, is less than the energy available in the lower levels. This happens because during energy transfer from lower to higher levels, some energy is always lost.

In nature, food chain relationships are not isolated. They are very complex, as one organism may form the food source of many organisms. Thus, instead of a simple linear food chain, there is a web like structure formed by these interlinked food chains. Such interconnected matrix of food chains, is called 'food web'

Energy and nutrients, pass through various alimentary levels. Each one of those levels, is called trophic levels in Ecology. The sum of all the trophic levels of an ecosystem, is called food chain. The alimentary relationships in an ecosystem, are called food web.

 Trichonympha is a genus of parabasalid protists that live in the intestines of many, if not most, termite species. They are symbiotes, in that they break down the cellulose in the wood and plant fibers their hosts eat.

Plants are producers because they create their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Fungi and bacteria break down dead organic matter into simpler substances, which is the definition of decomposers.

Parasites are organisms that live on or inside another living organism (the host) and derive nutrients at the host's expense.

Those organisms that synthesize food with the help of the light energy of the sun, carbon dioxide and water are called photoautotrophs. The process of synthesis of food in this manner, is called photosynthesis.

Autotrophs are organisms that can make their own food, from an inorganic source of carbon . Most autotrophs use sunlight in the process of photosynthesis, to make their own food. Photosynthesis is the name of the process which autotrophs use, to convert water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy, into sugars and oxygen. Examples of autotrophs are, plants and algae

Biodegradation step of carbon cycle would suffer in the absence of heterotrophs. They are important in the carbon chain for the processes of biodegradation and decomposition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

The direct reduction of sulphate ions to hydrogen sulphide is effected in nature by specialised, strictly anaerobic bacterium of the genus Desulfotomaculum. These sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) are heterotrophic organisms that utilise sulphate, thiosulphate, S2O3--, sulphite, SO3-- or other reducible sulphur-containing ions as terminal electron acceptors in their respiratory metabolism. In the process, these sulphur-containing ions are reduced to hydrogen sulphide.

Predators are animals that hunt, kill, and eat other animals for food. Producers are organisms like plants that make their own food, and habitats are the natural environments where organisms live.

An herbivore is an animal that feeds exclusively on plants. Carnivores eat meat, and omnivores eat both plants and animals.

Humans consume both plant and animal matter, which classifies them as omnivores. In an ecosystem, this places them at various trophic levels depending on the food chain.