Energy Transfer and Decay Flashcards
What is the source of energy for nearly all life on earth?
Sun
What is lost at each stage of the food chain?
Material and energy
What supplies the energy for all life processes?
Respiration
What is most of the energy lost as?
Heat
Why does some material not pass to the next stage?
It is inedible
How is material and energy also lost by?
Waste materials
What are living things made up of?
Materials they take from their surroundings
What elements do plants take from the soil and air?
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
What do plants turn the elements into?
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
How are elements recycled back to the start of the food chain?
By decay
How are elements returned back into the environment?
Waste products
How do the materials decay?
They are broken down by microorganisms
What conditions do microorganisms work best in?
Warm
Moist
When there is more oxygen
