The primary energy source in any ecosystem is sunlight. Green plants and algae capture the Sun’s energy during photosynthesis, converting light energy into chemical energy.
Carbon dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen
This stored energy is then passed through the food web as organisms consume plant material and each other, forming new biomass at each stage.
Energy flows through the community of an ecosystem in one direction with primary producers harvesting energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
The majority of autotrophs are photoautotrophs that harness the energy of the sun to make biomass. This energy is then passed on to consumers through feeding pathways.
The energy contained within producers and consumers is ultimately passed to the decomposers that are responsible for the constant recycling of nutrients.
The transfer of energy between the organisms in an ecosystem can be tracked by constructing food chains, food webs, pyramids of numbers, biomass and energy and energy flow diagrams.