Through the process of photosynthesis plants use sunlight which is energy to make sugar. Plants are producers which is the base of a trophic system. They supply the rest of the trophic system with energy. The first law of thermodynamics says that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can change from one form to another. 10% of energy from each trophic level gets passed onto the next trophic level which is how energy changes forms. Energy flow in an ecosystem is not really ecological efficent because since only 10% of energy get passed on that other 90% is leaving as heat, which is not efficent to be waisting energy.
Primary consumers will eat the producers. For example the bunny will eat the flowers. The bunny will use the 10% of energy that gets passed on from the producers for growth, reproduction, waste, imune deffense,daily maintenance. All organisims in any trophic level will use energy for those reasons. daily maintenance. Primary consumers have lots of biomass which is all the living tissue within a given trophic level. Biomass is the enrgy that gets passed onto the next trophic level.
Secondary consumers will eat primary consumers. The snake will eat the bunny. Secondary consumer are important because they kepp the primary consumer population size in control. They eat them for energy.
Tertirary consumers will eat secondary consumers. The hawk will eat the snake. Tertirary consumers are the apex predator they are found at the top of the food chain. They have no preadator after them, but when they die they will be broken down by decomposers. Consumers only get energy from the organisims they consume.
When an organisim dies a decomposer such as bacteria or fungus will break it down and the nutrients and energy will return to the soil. That nurtients can then be recycled for producers to use.
Deforestation is an example of enviromental degredation because it is ruining the enviornment. When trees get cut down it ruins organisims habitats. Deforestation also leads to the greenhouse gas affect because when the trees get cut down all the carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. Trees are a producer so when they are cut down that means primary consuers can not eat them for energy and will die. If the primary consumers and producers are dead the secondary consumers have nothing to eat for energy and will aslo die. Without anything for the tertirary consumer to eat theu will also die. When any trophic level is effected by environmental degredation it effects the entire trophic system. Another example of environmental degredation is pollution. Pollution harms animals and plant because it leads to harsh weather that imposes stress on the species, because they cannot tolerate that climate causing them to not survive.