Question

How is energy stored and transferred among organisms in an ecosystem?

(A) Energy is stored primarily in the atmosphere and transferred through chemical reactions.
(B) Energy is stored in rocks and transferred through geological processes.
(C) Energy is stored in the soil and transferred through plant photosynthesis.
(D) Energy is stored in the form of organic molecules and transferred through food chains.

Answer 1

Energy in ecosystems is primarily stored in organic molecules, such as glucose produced by photosynthesis, and is transferred through the food chain.

Step-by-step explanation:

Energy is stored and transferred among organisms in an ecosystem in various ways. Photosynthesis is a crucial process where plants and other photosynthetic producers convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.

This energy is then transferred through the food chain as organisms eat plants and other organisms consume these herbivores, effectively moving energy up the trophic levels. Energy enters an ecosystem in the form of sunlight or chemical compounds and exits in the form of heat.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (D): Energy is stored in the form of organic molecules and transferred through food chains. Neither the atmosphere, rocks, nor soil serves as primary storage of energy for its transfer among organisms within ecosystems.