Energy is the ability to do work. Energy flows in one direction in an ecosystem and is not recycled. This is because during the transfer of energy from one level to another, energy is lost. Most of the energy received from the sun by producers, plants, is lost as heat to the surroundings. The rest energy is converted by plants to produce food in the form of chemical energy.

Primary consumers feed on plants and secondary consumers feed on the primary consumers and so on up to quaternary consumers. However, at each level of energy transfer, some energy is lost as heat during respiration, some as unused or undigested materials, while some others are used for each organisms metabolic activities. About 90% of energy in a trophic is used at that trophic level. Therefore, only about 10% as much energy is available to organisms at each successive trophic level. Therefore, energy is not recycled in ecosystems.

Earth's atmosphere maintains its temperature by means of the earth's energy balance. This refers to how incoming from the sun and outgoing energy from the earth are in balance, thereby keeping earth's temperature constant.

Decomposers, are organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and small animals such as ants and worms that eat and decompose dead and waste organic matter and which recycle nutrients back into food chains making them available for plants use. Therefore, decomposers are an essential components of all ecosystems.

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