The major difference between the flow of matter and of energy is that the flow of matter occurs in a cyclic manner i.e. it is recycled, however, the flow of energy in an ecosystem is unidirectional which means, it is not recycled. The flow of matter follows the following path
1) Decomposers release nutrients when they break down dead organisms
2) The nutrients are taken up by plants through their roots
3) The nutrients pass to primary consumers when they eat the plants
4) The nutrients pass to higher-level consumers when they eat lower-level consumers
5) When living things die, the cycle repeats
In case of flow of energy, the energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from photosynthetic organisms to herbivores to omnivores and carnivores and decomposers, less and less energy becomes available to support life. This loss of usable energy occurs because each energy transfer results in the dissipation of some energy into the environment as heat
