M2L2 Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem

​Autotrophs are the foundation of all ecosystems because they make energy available for all other organisms.

​Eat fragments of dead matter, returning the nutrients to the soil, air, and water.

​​Detritivore

​Break down dead organisms by releasing digestive enzymes.

​​Decomposers

​Show one possible path of energy flow through an ecosystem.

​​Food Chains

​Shows the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through an ecosystem.

​​Food Webs

​(Also called an energy pyramid) It can show the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

​​Ecological Pyramid