The concept of the boisphere and its ecosystems
...ed in their cells which contain many chlorophyll. This light enrgy is converted to chemicl energy by photosynthesis, the chemical energy is then passed onto primary consumers which eat the autotroph. The energy is passed through the trophic levels and up the food pyramid by 2nd, 3rd ,4th etc. order consumers eating one another. How ever only a small percentage (about 10%) of the energy passed through each tropic level reaches the consumers. At each trophic level about 90% of the chemical energy is lost as heat due to respiration. Chemical energy can also enter an ecosytem from another ecosystem e.g animals migrating or plants being washed by water or transported by wind. This shows how ecosystems are interlinked. However there is still one question remaining, what happens to the last consumer of the food chain. Well eventually they will die, their body matter will be broken down decomposers such as bacteria and fungi and will be converted from complex molecules into simple inorganic compounds such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, water and mineral ions. These organic compunds are taken up by the the living comm...