🌍 IB MYP Integrated Science –
Ecosystems & Energy Flow (Paragraph
Notes)
An ecosystem is a system formed by the interaction of living organisms with each other
and with their physical environment. It includes both biotic factors, such as plants,
animals, and microorganisms, and abiotic factors, including sunlight, water, temperature,
soil, and air. These components are interdependent, meaning a change in one factor can
affect the entire ecosystem. For example, a decrease in rainfall can reduce plant growth,
which in turn affects the animals that depend on those plants for food.
Within an ecosystem, organisms are organized into different trophic levels based on how
they obtain energy. Producers, also known as autotrophs, are organisms that can make
their own food using sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. These include green
plants and algae. Consumers, or heterotrophs, depend on other organisms for energy.
Primary consumers are herbivores that feed on producers, secondary consumers feed on
primary consumers, and tertiary consumers are top predators at the highest level of the
food chain. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, play a crucial role by breaking down
dead organisms and recycling nutrients back into the soil.
Energy in an ecosystem flows in a one-way direction, starting from the Sun. Producers
capture solar energy and convert it into chemical energy through photosynthesis. This
energy is then transferred to consumers when they eat plants or other animals. However,
energy transfer is not efficient. At each trophic level, only about 10% of the energy is
passed on to the next level, while the rest is lost as heat, movement, and metabolic
processes. This is why food chains are usually limited to a few levels and why there are
fewer organisms at higher trophic levels.
Food chains and food webs are used to represent feeding relationships within ecosystems.
A food chain is a simple linear sequence showing how energy flows from one organism to
another, such as from grass to a rabbit and then to a fox. In contrast, a food web is a more
complex and realistic representation that shows multiple interconnected food chains, as
most organisms have more than one source of food.
Photosynthesis is a fundamental process that supports life on Earth. It occurs in the
chloroplasts of plant cells, where chlorophyll captures sunlight energy. This energy is used
to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. The glucose produced serves
as food for the plant, while oxygen is released into the atmosphere.
6CO2+6H2O→C6H12O6+6O26CO_2 + 6H_2O \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_26CO2
+6H2 O→C6 H12 O6 +6O2
Cellular respiration is the process by which living organisms release energy from glucose.
This process occurs in all living cells and requires oxygen. During respiration, glucose
reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy. This energy is essential
for carrying out life processes such as growth, movement, and reproduction.
In addition to energy flow, ecosystems also involve the continuous recycling of nutrients.
Unlike energy, which is lost as heat, nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and water are
reused through biogeochemical cycles. For example, in the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is
absorbed by plants during photosynthesis and returned to the atmosphere through
respiration and decomposition.
Interactions between organisms in an ecosystem can take different forms. These include
predation, where one organism hunts another; competition, where organisms compete for
limited resources such as food or space; and symbiosis, where two species live closely
together. Symbiotic relationships can be mutualistic, where both organisms benefit,
commensal, where one benefits and the other is unaffected, or parasitic, where one
organism benefits at the expense of the other.
Finally, ecosystems can be affected by human activities such as deforestation, pollution,
and climate change. These activities can disrupt the balance of ecosystems, leading to
loss of biodiversity and instability. Conservation efforts are therefore important to protect
ecosystems and maintain ecological balance.