The flow of matter in an ecosystem is not like energy flow.
How does matter flow through an ecosystem.
Matter moves through an ecosystem through the recycling of energy and nutrients between different trophic levels.
Seeing how energy and matter flows and is recycled from primary producers autotrophs to primary secondary and tertiary consumers watch the next lesson.
Ultimately that energy is radiated to space and lost from the biosphere.
Matter also moves through ecosystems but because gravity keeps surface material earthbound matter can t be lost in the global ecosystem.
The first trophic level consists of primary producers like plants that can manufacture their own food through photosynthesis.
Since carbon atoms are the backbone of cellular formation the most important biogeochemical cycle is the carbon cycle.
Matter cycles freely between trophic levels and between the ecosystem and the physical environment figure below.
Matter cycles through an ecosystem through processes called biogeochemical cycles.
Matter enters an ecosystem at any level and leaves at any level.