Pathways of energy

Pathways of energy

1. Our sun is 4.5 billion years old-half way through its life

   • It has burned up about half of its hydrogen in nuclear fusion-this causes the release of energy
     • The energy is in packets called photons ( it takes 8 minutes for a photos to reach Earth)
       • Photosynthesis- is the only way that solar energy can enter an ecosystem

2. What is in sunlight (solar radiation)?

   • Sunlight contains a wide spectrum of wavelengths
     • Most of it is ultraviolet (UV) visible light and infrared radiation
       • Almost half of the suns total radiation is visible light

3. Albedo-is the reflective power of a surface

   • 49% that is absorbed at the surface, only 0.06% is captured by plants!!!

4. WHAT HAPPENS TO UPCOMING SOLAR ENERGY?

   • DESCRIBING:
     • Very little of sunlight from the Sun ends up as biomass in ecosystems
       • Some is lost before it even gets to the Earth
         • 49% that is absorbed by the surface much of it fails
   • EXPAINING:
     • Light doesn't hit the chloroplast
       • Light is transmitted alone the surface on the leaf
         • Some is reflected
           • Photosynthesis (conversion of light to chemical energy) is inefficient

5. Once light is converted into chemical store transformation-the energy is in usable form for producers and those higher up the food chain

   • At each trophic level energy is lost from the food chain
   • Respiration is inefficient, resulting the further heat loss
   • PYRAMID REPRESENT THE ENERGY TRANSFER
     • BIRD
       • CATEPILLAR
         • oak
           • MICROBES