Module 1 Intro

Module 1—Energy Flow and the Cycling of Matter

 

Lesson Summary

 

In this lesson you explored the following essential questions:

• What processes do producers use to harness energy?
  

• How is energy distributed through the biosphere?

In this lesson you learned that approximately 98% of all producers use photosynthesis to capture and store solar energy. You also learned that the other 2% of producers that use chemosynthesis live in extreme conditions, such as the ocean floor, and do not have access to solar energy. Part of understanding photosynthesis is to explore factors that can get in the way of it running smoothly.

 

Since the vast majority of photoautotrophs capture and store solar energy, it is safe to say that solar energy maintains life in the biosphere. It is necessary for the right conditions to be present so that this vital process of capturing and storing energy can continue. You also looked at how solar energy is distributed outside of photosynthesis. Like everything in biology, there is a need for homeostasis—balance, equilibrium, and maintaining a steady state. If any part of the big picture were to go missing, there would be a big problem. Where would people be if suddenly there were no Sun or no producers?

 

Lesson 2 will look at how people and other organisms survive because of the continuous flow of energy.

 

Lesson Glossary

 

biosphere: all areas on Earth that can sustain life and are inhabited by organisms (air, water, land)

 

chemosynthesis: the process by which certain fungi and bacteria use the energy from chemical nutrients to chemically convert carbon (inorganic) into carbohydrates (organic)

 

consumers: organisms that must obtain their food (energy) by eating other organisms (producers or consumers); also called heterotrophs

 

equilibrium: all living components of the biosphere (e.g., humans, bacteria, plants) balance in a system; the overall fluctuations in the system balance out and there is no net change over time

 

first law of thermodynamics: energy in a system cannot be created nor destroyed; it changes forms

 

limiting factor: any biotic or abiotic factor that controls or limits the functioning of an organism

 

photoautotrophs: photosynthetic producers

 

photosynthesis: the process by which plants, algae, and some kinds of bacteria use solar energy to chemically convert carbon (inorganic) into carbohydrates (organic) such as sugars and starches

 

producers: organisms that are able to produce their own food (energy) by harnessing chemical or solar energy; also called autotrophs