How do energy and matter move through ecosystems

Unlike energy, matter is recycled in ecosystems.Decomposers release nutrients when they break down dead organisms. The nutrients are taken up by plants through their roots.

Explanation:

How Matter Moves Through Ecosystems

Decomposers release nutrients when they break down dead organisms. The nutrients are taken up by plants through their roots. The nutrients pass to primary consumers when they eat the plants. The nutrients pass to higher-level consumers when they eat lower-level consumers. When living things die, the cycle repeats.

How Energy Moves Through Ecosystems

Energy is transferred between organisms in food webs from producers to consumers. The energy is used by organisms to carry out complex tasks. The vast majority of energy that exists in food webs originates from the sun and is converted (transformed) into chemical energy by the process of photosynthesis in plants. A small proportion of this chemical energy is transformed directly into heat when compounds are broken down during respiration in plants. The majority of the chemical energy stored in plants is transformed into other forms by an assortment of consumers, such as cows, rabbits, horses, sheep, caterpillars, and other insects eating plants.