How does an ecosystem produce energy?

Answer 1

The energy produced by an ecosystem is consumed by its inhabitants, you have to think of it like a circle. Start with plants who use water, sunshine, and nutrients from the soil and produce oxygen and a food source ( energy ) for living herbavores, who in turn eat the plants ( promoting growth, spreading pollen, and opening up the canopy for sun to penetrate ), breathe oxygen and release CO2 which is used by plants, and excrete nutrients for the soil. These animals are in turn eaten by carnivores who do the same but keep the numbers of herbavores in check so that the plants are not over grazed, Insects feed on the waste and convert it further into a useable food source for the plants and provide a food source for birds and reptiles. In an ecosystem each component provides for the needs of the other creating a balance where nothing is wasted. Water is a non renewable resource in the chain that must be provided from the outside in all cases except in a sealed ecosystem where evaporation is recollected as rainfall or in condensation. Solar energy is used by the plants for photosynthesis. I had an aquarium that worked like a marine ecosystem, the fish excreted amonia and used oxygen, the plants gave off oxygen, used the amonia and CO2 to grow and a controlled growth of algae consumed the extra nitrates in a bio wheel to keep the water liveable for the fish. I needed to add food for the fish so that they would not eat too much of the plants and water to make up for evaporation but otherwise it was self sustaining. It is important however not to tip the scales in the favor of any one of the elements for risk of throwing off the balance. I.E. too many fish will create too much waste and use too much oxygen for the rest of the system to compensate for.