Matter is recycled, but energy is not.
In an ecosystem, matter is represented by the presence of biogeochemical elements such as Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus and Sulfur. These elements are being recycled through their respective cycles - Biogeochemical cycles (please click this http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Biogeochemical+cycles&gwp=13).
Energy, on the other hand, is not recyclable. It is something that an organism utilizes or consumes. The 1st law of thermodynamics explains why energy is not being recycled - as an energy passes through or is being consumed by an organism, the consumer of the said organism will only utilize less of a 100% of what the organism was able to get from the 100% energy.
Plants, through the process of photosynthesis, supply matter and energy to most ecosystems by converting sunlight into chemical energy in the form of glucose. This energy is then transferred through the food chain as animals consume plants or other animals.
Energy cannot be recycled in an ecosystem. While matter like nutrients and water can be recycled within ecosystems, energy flows through the system and is eventually lost as heat.
The most important transformers of energy in ecosystems are producers (such as plants) that convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis, and decomposers (such as bacteria and fungi) that break down organic matter into simpler compounds and release nutrients back into the ecosystem. These transformers play crucial roles in the flow of energy through the food chain.
When an organism is eaten, the energy and matter contained in its body are transferred to the organism that consumes it. The energy is used for various metabolic processes to fuel the organism's activities, while the matter is broken down and incorporated into the consumer's own body for growth and repair. In this way, the energy and matter are not destroyed, but are rather transferred and recycled through the food chain.
The three types of organisms in ecosystems are producers (plants that make their own food), consumers (organisms that eat other organisms for energy), and decomposers (organisms that break down dead organic matter).
Energy is released.
Unlike the one way flow of energy, matter is recycled within and between ecosystems.
Unlike the one way flow of energy, matter is recycled within and between ecosystems.
In a closed system, neither the energy or matter changes. (Study Island)
In a nuclear reaction, matter is converted into energy.
When matter is heated, its particles gain kinetic energy, causing them to move faster and vibrate more. This increase in energy leads to a rise in temperature and can result in changes in the physical state of the matter, such as melting or boiling. The energy that is added to the matter during heating is stored within the particles as heat energy.
Unlike the one way flow of energy, matter is recycled within and between ecosystems.
One thing that happens is that the molecules in the matter lose energy and momentum and slow down, therefore the matter becomes more compact.
Energy and matter (mass) move through ecosystems from the bottom of the pyramid to the top. The bottom contains most of the matter and therefore the most energy. About 10% is passed to the second level. About 10% of that 10% is passed to the third level. Most ecosystems have three levels as there is not enough energy for a fourth level. Except in tropical rainforest they are fourth levels but no where else.
When thermal energy is taken away from matter particles move more slowly. When thermal energy is added to matter particles move faster.
it will move slower.
In an ecosystem the reactions going on are chemical reactions, and the total weight of the substances involved remains constant. Matter is only destroyed in nuclear reactions such as the fission of uranium, which does not happen in a normal ecosystem. Energy is transformed though, for example the sun's energy is absorbed by plants making them grow.