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What Law Best Relates To Energy Loss Within An Ecosystem?

• Marvin Harvey
• 21.12.2022
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Step 2: Thermodynamics in an ecosystem – The law of thermodynamics can be related to the ecosystem. The law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, which means energy in an ecosystem is always preserved and is constantly changing forms.

What causes energy to be lost in an ecosystem?

What law best relates to energy loss within an ecosystem? Two laws of physics are important in the study of energy flow through ecosystems. The second law of thermodynamics states that whenever energy is transformed, there is a loss energy through the release of heat. This occurs when energy is transferred between trophic levels as illustrated in a food web.

What are the two laws of Physics of energy flow?

What law best relates to energy loss within an ecosystem? Two laws of physics are important in the study of energy flow through ecosystems. The second law of thermodynamics states that whenever energy is transformed, there is a loss energy through the release of heat. This occurs when energy is transferred between trophic levels as illustrated in a food web.

What are the first laws of thermodynamics?

Laws Governing Energy Flow in Ecosystem The term ‘energy’ is quite familiar to us and we use it in a very general sense. Often this usage does not correspond to the precise scientific definition. It is, therefore, important to first define it precisely.

1. Energy is defined as the capacity to do work.
2. We use energy to cook food.
3. We need energy to raise our feet.
4. A truck climbs up a hill when energy is supplied to it from combustion of diesel oil and a light bulb glows when electric energy is supplied to it.
5. The developing countries of the Third World face perpetual energy shortage, and in the present day world, energy and prosperity go hand in hand.

As such, sun is the ultimate source of all our energy, which caters to the need of our ecosystem. In the interior of the sun, a thermonuclear reaction is continuously going on at a temperature of about 10 8 K wherein hydrogen is converted into helium.

1. This is accompanied by a release of huge amount of energy, which manifests itself as heat and light.
2. Observations made from artificial satellites indicate that nearly 30% of the total solar radiation entering our atmosphere is reflected by the earth-atmosphere system.
3. The remaining 70% of the radiation is absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere.

Of this 19% is absorbed directly by the atmosphere and the rest by the earth’s surface. The blue and red component (400-500 nm and 600-700 nm band respectively) of solar radiation are strongly absorbed by chlorophyll, the green pigment, present in vegetation and are converted into chemical energy.

1. That is how energy for the ecosystem is trapped.
2. The energy captured by the autotrophs will never revert back to the sun.
3. Similarly, the energy, which passes to the herbivore, does not revert back to autotrophs and so on.
4. Thus, the flow of solar energy is unidirectional.
5. Its immediate implication is that an ecosystem would collapse if the sun stops giving out energy.

The second important fact is that at each tropic level energy content decreases progressively. This factor is easily explained by noting that the trapped solar energy is used up in metabolic activity and measured as respiration. In an ecosystem, energy is transferred in an orderly sequence.

We have explained above that energy is always unidirectional. In a chain of events, some useful energy may be lost as heat. Two descriptive physical laws apply to such situations. These are the first and the second laws of thermodynamics. The first laws of thermodynamics deals with the conservation of matter and energy and states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only change from one form to another.

For example, the energy of visible light is absorbed by green plants through photosynthesis; it is changed into chemical energy stored in the glucose molecules. Almost all living organisms including plants consume glucose in respiration and use the stored chemical energy for their metabolic activity.

• Some of the energy is dissipated as heat, another form of energy.
• The second law of thermodynamics states that some useful energy is converted into unusable waste heat during every energy transformation.
• This heat energy escapes into the surrounding environment.
• Another way of saying the same thing would be that in energy transformation, some energy is always lost in the form of heat that is thereafter unavailable to do further useful work.

For example, if we have to push an object on the floor some of the work, which we are putting in pushing the object, is used up as heat energy due to friction. In the same way when energy stored in the body is used in doing some work, some of the useful energy is lost as body heat.

In other words, energy transformation in the physical as well as biological worlds are less than one hundred per cent efficient, because energy’s natural and unavoidable tendency is to spread out, i.e., become disorganized or disordered. The degree of disorder that occurs in any given system can be measured and expressed mathematically as entropy.

In fact, the universe as a whole is tending towards a state of maximum entropy. In order to continue to function, organisms must continue to receive new input of energy in the ecosystem. : Laws Governing Energy Flow in Ecosystem

What is the law of thermodynamics in the ecosystem?

Law of Thermodynamics in the Ecosystem – The law of thermodynamics in the ecosystem explains the flow of energy at each trophic level. The first law states that energy is neither created, nor destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another.

This is true in energy flow in the ecocystem. The second law states that there is loss of energy at each step of energy flow. This law also stands true in ecology as their is progressive decrease in energy at each trophic level. Also Read: This was a brief idea about the energy flow in the ecosystem. For more information on energy flow, keep visiting BYJU’S website or download BYJU’S app for further reference.

The energy flow is the amount of energy that moves along the food chain. This energy flow is also known as calorific flow. The energy flow in the ecosystem is important to maintain an ecological balance. The producers synthesise food by the process of photosynthesis.

• A part of the energy is stored within the plants.
• The remaining energy is utilised by the plants in their growth and development.
• This stored energy is transferred to the primary consumers when they feed on the producers.
• This energy is further passed on to the secondary consumers when they feed on the primary consumers, and so on.

The 10 percent law of energy flow states that when the energy is passed on from one trophic level to another, only 10 percent of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level. Answer: (b)First trophic level Green plants occupy the first trophic level.

They are the primary producers, manufacturing their own food through the process of photosynthesis. We depend on producers for nutrition. Herbivores occupy the second trophic level, while the third, fourth, and fifth trophic levels are occupied by carnivores. The Y shaped energy flow model was given by H.T.

Odum. The single channel energy flow model depicts unidirectional flow of energy which shows that at each trophic level their is a progressive decrease in the energy levels. Sun is the primary and main source of energy in the ecosystem : Energy Flow in Ecosystem- Food Chain,Food Web and Energy Pyramids

What causes energy to be lost in an ecosystem?

What law best relates to energy loss within an ecosystem? Two laws of physics are important in the study of energy flow through ecosystems. The second law of thermodynamics states that whenever energy is transformed, there is a loss energy through the release of heat. This occurs when energy is transferred between trophic levels as illustrated in a food web.

What are the laws of energy flow?

Energy Flow – The chemical energy of food is the main source of energy required by all living organisms. This energy is transmitted to different trophic levels along the food chain. This energy flow is based on two different laws of thermodynamics:

• First law of thermodynamics, that states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only change from one form to another.
• Second law of thermodynamics, that states that as energy is transferred more and more of it is wasted.

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

Energy Flow in Ecosystem – The energy flow in the ecosystem is one of the major factors that support the survival of such a great number of organisms. For almost all organisms on earth, the primary source of energy is solar energy. It is amusing to find that we receive less than 50 per cent of the sun’s effective radiation on earth. Most of the sun’s radiation that falls on the earth is usually reflected back into space by the earth’s atmosphere. This effective radiation is termed as the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). Overall, we receive about 40 to 50 percent of the energy having Photosynthetically Active Radiation and only around 2-10 percent of it is used by plants for the process of photosynthesis.

Thus, this percent of PAR supports the entire world as plants are the producers in the ecosystem and all the other organisms are either directly or indirectly dependent on them for their survival. The energy flow takes place via the food chain and food web. During the process of energy flow in the ecosystem, plants being the producers absorb sunlight with the help of the chloroplasts and a part of it is transformed into chemical energy in the process of,

This energy is stored in various organic products in the plants and passed on to the primary consumers in the food chain when the herbivores consume (primary consumers) the plants as food. Then conversion of chemical energy stored in plant products into kinetic energy occurs, degradation of energy will occur through its conversion into heat.

1. Then followed by the secondary consumers.
2. When these herbivores are ingested by carnivores of the first order (secondary consumers) further degradation will occur.
3. Finally, when tertiary consumers consume the carnivores, energy will again be degraded.
4. Thus, the energy flow is unidirectional in nature.
5. Moreover, in a food chain, the energy flow follows the 10 percent law.

According to this law, only 10 percent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the other; rest is lost into the atmosphere. This is clearly explained in the following figure and is represented as an energy pyramid.