Energy Flows

Attributes of Ecosystems

• order
• development
• metabolism (energy flow)
• material cycles
• response to the environment
• porous boundaries

Emphasis on function, not species

The Laws of Thermodynamics

• Energy flow is a one-directional process. sun---> heat (longer wavelengths) FIRST LAW of THERMODYNAMICS: Energy can be converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed.

The Second Law

• Transformations of energy always result in some loss or dissipation of energy or In energy exchanges in a closed system, the potential energy of the final state will be less than that of the initial state or Entropy tends to increase (entropy = amount of unavailable energy in a system) or Systems will tend to go from ordered states to disordered states (to maintain order, energy must be added to the system, to compensate for the loss of energy)