Question

Energy and chemicals move through ecosystems in different ways. nutrients are constantly ____________ through the ecosystem, while energy moves through an ecosystem in ____________ direction.

Answer 1

Nutrients are continuously recycled in an ecosystem, while energy flows in a one-way direction from the sun through producers to consumers. Matter is recycled through biogeochemical cycles, and energy flow is depicted with food chains and food webs.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nutrients are constantly recycled through the ecosystem, while energy moves through an ecosystem in a one-way direction. Ecosystems receive a constant influx of energy, primarily from the sun, and use this energy to drive multiple processes including photosynthesis in producers like plants. Consumers such as animals depend on these producers for energy. In contrast, unlike energy, matter such as water and nutrients like carbon and nitrogen are not continuously added to ecosystems; they are instead recycled. The recycling of these materials is known as biogeochemical cycles, which involve both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems.

Energy enters ecosystems through primary producers, which are capable of utilizing inorganic forms of energy. This energy is then passed on through various trophic levels in the form of food, from producers to consumers. Organisms acquire energy through two main ways: autotrophs harness light or chemical energy to make food, and heterotrophs obtain energy by consuming other organisms. The flow of energy in an ecosystem is characterized by food chains and food webs that highlight the directional movement of energy.

Answer 2

Energy and chemicals move through ecosystems in different ways. nutrients are constantly recycled through the ecosystem, while energy moves through an ecosystem in one direction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nutrients are recycled by nature through the cycles of nutrients also called biogeochemical cycles.

Biogeochemical cycles are processes that occur in nature to ensure the recycling of chemical elements in the environment. It is these cycles that allow the elements to interact with the environment and with living beings, that is, they ensure that the element flows through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere.

Biogeochemical cycles, by promoting a cycling of the elements, ensure that they are used and subsequently available again. This is an extremely important factor because some elements are essential for living beings, and their constant use, without replacement, could lead to the extinction of species.

The major biogeochemical cycles found in nature are the water, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen cycles.