THE ENERGY CYCLE

The energy cycle is based on the flow of enrgy through the ecosystem.The energy from sunlight in converted by the plants themselves into growing new plant meterial,which include the leaves ,flowers fruit,branchesmtrunks and roots of plants .Since plants can grow by converting the sun's energy direcly in to their tissues ,they are known as producers in the ecosystem.The plants are used by herbivores as food which givs them energy .A large part of this energy is used up for the metabolilc functions of these animals such as breathing ,digesting food,supporting growth of tissues,maintaining blood flow and body temperature .Enaergy is also used for finding shelter ,breeding andrearing the young ones.The carnivores ,In turn,depend on the herbivores,on which they feed.Thus different plant and animal species are linked to one another through manydifferent linkages,these interlinked chains can be depicted as a complex food web.This is thus called the 'web of life' that shows that there are thousands of interrelationships in nature.
The enrgy in the ecosystem can be depicted in the form of food pyramid or energy pyramid.The food pyramid has a large base of plants called producers.The pyramd has narrower middle section that depicts the number and biomass of herbivores animals,which are called 'first orderconsumers',The apex depicts the small biomass of carnivores animals called 'second-order consumers'.Man is one of the anumals at the apex of the pyramid.Thus,to support mankind,there must be large base of herbivorous animals and an even greater quantity of plant meterial.
When plants and animals die,this meterial is returned to the soil after being broken down in to simpler substance by decompossers such as insects,worms,bacteria and fungi,so that plants can absorb the nutrients through their roots.Animals excerte waste products agter digesting food ,which goes back to soil.This links the energy cyle to the nitrogen cycle.