Energy flows within an ecosystem through a food web.

Question

What happens to the energy?

1) Energy does not change, but some is lost.
2) Energy changes, but remains conserved
3) Energy does not change, but remains conserved.
4) Energy changes, and some is lost

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

4) Energy changes, and some is lost.

In an ecosystem, energy flows from producers (like plants) to various levels of consumers (herbivores, carnivores, etc.) through the food web. As energy is transferred from one trophic level to another, it undergoes transformations (such as chemical energy in plants being converted to kinetic energy in animals). However, during these transfers, energy is lost mainly as heat due to metabolic processes, which is why the overall amount of usable energy decreases at each successive trophic level.