Question

A common theme in biology is that energy flows through biological systems while matter __________.

Answer 1

A common theme in biology is that energy flows through biological systems while matter IS RECYCLED. Energy and matter are not destroyed in the ecosystem. The energy is transformed and the matter is recycled. In a food web, the food is transferred from one organism to another in different forms. this shows that the same molecules and atoms are recycled as the same molecule is used by one organism and then transferred to the second organism.

Answer 2

Energy and matter are both preserved in the ecosystem. The energy changes from form to another while flowing through the ecosystem whereas, the assembling moves in a cyclic form.

Further Explanation:

An ecosystem is defined as a community where both living and non-living components of the environment interact with each other and among themselves. Due to the presence of its components, there is the existence of energy and matter in the ecosystem.

The energy and matter are neither created nor destroyed in the ecosystem. They rather travel within the ecosystem and are conserved.

The matter present in the ecosystem never exits it, although it may change its form. Therefore, the matter is cycled within the ecosystem. The matter can also travel from one ecosystem to another when the nutrients are passed into the river or any other water body.The same nutrient or molecules can be used again and again while assembling into different forms. These molecules are then incorporated into different organisms of the ecosystem.

For example, the plants take up carbon dioxide from the environment and nutrients from the soil to form important biomolecules. When animals feed on plants, they use these biomolecules as energy sources and also rearrange these molecules into new forms for their utilization. The animals then perform cellular respiration and liberate carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is utilized by the plants. Likewise, the waste excreted out by the animals and utilized. These decomposers use the energy stored in the chemical compounds of the waste materials and construct their building blocks. They also release some molecule back into the atmosphere and soil from where the molecules can again be taken up and cycled in the ecosystem.

On the contrary, the energy in the ecosystem cannot be recycled like matter. It rather flows within the ecosystem in a particular direction with the conversion of light into heat. The energy enters the ecosystem initially as sunlight which is captured by the plants in the chemical form through photosynthesis. This trapped energy then moves through the ecosystem, converting from form to another as it an down the food chain. When an organism captures energy, some of the energy is utilized by the organism for its source survival to produce more energy while some part of the energy a  as heat. This released heat is also considered as energy and therefore, no energy is ever lost or destroyed. Eventually, energy taken up as light is released in the form of heat which moves back into space.

This means every ecosystem requires continuous availability of matter and energy. While matter can be recycled, the energy flows unidirectionally and finally dissipated as heat.

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Answer Details:

Grade: Higher secondary

Subject: Biology

Chapter: Ecosystem and its Components

Keywords:

Ecosystem, matter, energy, living components, non-living components, nutrients, carbon dioxide, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, atmosphere, food chain, decomposers.