Energy Flow in Ecosystems: Sun → Producers → Consumers → Decomposers #2172888 (License: Personal Use)

The diagram depicts the unidirectional flow of energy in an ecosystem: solar energy enters via photosynthesis in producers (plants), transfers to consumers (animals) through feeding, and is processed by decomposers (fungi, bacteria, worms) that break down dead matter. At each trophic level, energy is partially lost as heat, emphasizing the inefficiency and non-cyclic nature of energy transfer-unlike nutrients, energy does not recycle.

Used in educational contexts such as biology textbooks, ecology lesson plans, or science websites to explain trophic dynamics and the 10% energy rule; targets students, teachers, and curious learners seeking foundational ecosystem concepts.