Energy in ecosystems

The ecosystems ENERGY: Energy is defined as the ability to do work, its unit of measure in the international system of measure is the Joule.
Energy takes many forms in nature as such as heat, motion, chemical bonds, among others. There is a very important law in thermodynamics, the science of energy and its transformations, and is as follows: "Energy is neither created nor destroyed can only be changed or transferred. To further illustrate this concept look: a person takes energy from the food (chemical energy), uses it to generate heat (heat energy) and body tissues (chemical energy). Here is how these seemingly physical concepts can be applied to ecosystems.
Where does the energy we receive on earth?
Sunlight is the energy source that feeds the planet earth, the movement of winds and ocean currents are generated by it. However, not all agencies can use it directly, only do primary producers, capable of photosynthesis.
MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Biomass is the term used to indicate the amount of organic matter from which an individual is formed, a trophic level or set of unecosistema.
Biomass is measured in grams, kilograms and time of dry organic matter per unit area or volume. Another way to measure the biomass is in kilojoules per unit area or volumen.Producción is increased biomass per unit time. There are many ways to measure output can refer to a specific level or in any ecosystem.

Net Primary Production (NPP), refers to increased biomass of producers Gross Primary Production (GPP) that consume the plants for respiration.
Secondary Production Net (PSN), refers to the increase in biomass in the different levels of consumers.
Net ecosystem production (NEP) is the increase in biomass that accumulates in the ecosystem in a given period.
PNE = Photosynthesis - Respiration

MATTER AND ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS
All living matter and energy they need to perform their vital functions. All the energy used by living things comes from the sun, this energy is consumed and will no longer be used by living things, so it is said that the energy passing through an ecosystem is unidirectional, ie flows in one direction . Organic matter from the wreckage and bodies of living beings is transformed by some microorganisms in inorganic matter. This matter is consumed by humans autotrophs and heterotrophs. In turn, when they die, their remains are again transformed into inorganic matter, which is why that matter is a closed cycle in the ecosystem.

ENERGY CYCLE
THE FLOW OF ENERGY IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Energy is the lifeblood of our society depend on it the interior and exterior lighting, heating and cooling our homes, transporting people and mechanics, getting food and its preparation, operation of factories, among other.

In this regard, we define the energy is the ability to perform work and behavior is described by the same laws of thermodynamics, which are two:

1st. ENERGY CONSERVATION Law says that energy can be transformed from one class to another, but can not be destroyed, the energía neither created nor destroyed only transformed, there is neither gain nor loss of energy, in nature everything costs something when transition from one type of energy to other changes, but no loss there. For example, light energy is converted into organic material (wood), which in turn is transformed into heat (fire) and light, the heat can be transformed into motion energy (steam engines) in this light ( generator that produces electricity), and so on.

The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy to perform work. A highly active system will have a higher respiration rate than does not. Any process requires an input of external energy to produce work and release energy as heat.

The energy that comes from the sun obeys the first law of thermodynamics: the food chain is a concrete example of the first law of thermodynamics because it shows the flow of energy through different trophic levels.