Simple ecosystem diagram

Educational value

• Shows the biotic components of a food chain, including producers, primary and secondary consumers and decomposers, with identifying labels. In this diagram, primary consumers are represented by an insect and secondary consumers by a reptile.
• Depicts the energy input from the Sun being trapped in plants by photosynthesis then flowing through the food chain, with some energy being lost to the environment at each stage. Each organism retains only a fraction of the energy it absorbs, and this is eventually released when the organism decays. The system can be maintained only as long as there is a supply of energy from the Sun.
• Indicates how nutrients, unlike energy, are recycled through the ecosystem. Decomposers play a vital role in breaking down plant and animal remains into simple compounds that can be utilised by plants for growth. This makes the nutrients available to cycle through consumers again.

Topics Food chains Herbivores Carnivores Decomposition (Living things) Ecosystems Secondary consumers Producers (Food chains) Primary consumers Energy flow (Ecosystems)