Question

Evaluate Claims: There is a law in nature called the Law of Conservation of Energy that states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only converted from one form to another it is conserved). A classmate claims that energy is conserved as it flows through an ecosystem. Use your model and scientific reasoning to support or refute this claim.

Answer 1

The classmate's claim that energy is conserved in an ecosystem is correct because energy cannot be created or destroyed, which is a principle upheld by the Law of Conservation of Energy and evidenced in the flow of energy through trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Step-by-step explanation:

The claim that energy is conserved as it flows through an ecosystem aligns with the Law of Conservation of Energy, which posits that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only be converted from one form to another. In an ecosystem, energy is transferred between organisms through trophic levels—starting from the sun's energy absorbed by plants, then moving through herbivores, carnivores, and eventually to decomposers.

While this energy does undergo transformations along this food chain, the total amount of energy remains constant, albeit some is dissipated as heat due to inefficiencies in energy conversion processes. This is in accordance with the first law of thermodynamics. Thus, energy is indeed conserved in an ecosystem, supporting your classmate's claim.