By Noah

"Hey what's for lunch?"

"Sunshine."

 "Sunshine?"

     Yes, sunshine, the thing that helps plants make food and gives us energy to move. Without sunshine and its flow of energy, we would all die. The  plants would die first. Then consumers would die.

     The flow of energy can be seen on an energy pyramid, which is larger  on  the  bottom where the producers are located and  smaller on the top where the consumers, such as carnivores, are.

    The energy pyramid  is  a  pyramid  which demonstrates the moving of energy from level to another. The bottom of the pyramid is actually the sun, although it is rarely shown. Also on the bottom and actually found throughout the energy pyramid are decomposers which break down dead decaying matter and put it back into the soil for the producers. Next is the producers, which are flowers, trees, bushes, and grass. Then there is the first level consumers, which includes herbivores, like insects, rodents, and kangaroos. Next is the second level consumers which include small predators, such as snakes and spiders. The top of the pyramid is the third level consumers which include large predators, such as the wolf and tiger.

     The energy pyramid can collapse when any level of the pyramid is disrupted. For example, if a drought killed a lot of the producers, then the other level populations would also decrease. Or if the number of herbivores decreased, there would be an overabundance of producers.

     The energy pyramid includes several food chains which make up a food web. In this picture of a food web in the desert biome, several examples of food chains can be seen. For example, the plants are eaten by the insects which are eaten by the lizards which are eaten by the hawk. The arrows in the diagram show how energy is passed from one organism to another. Another food chain that comes off of this first food chain is the fox also eats the lizards as well as snakes. One can see how together these food chains make a food web.

And that is all about the flow of energy. Now  you know how sunshine is for dinner. It is food  for plants and energy  for us. 

Here are some neat links to games and other information that will help you learn more about the flow of energy:

Ecokids Chain Reaction Games and Activities

Kids' Corner

Bibliography:

(Picture of energy pyramid) http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ex-Ga/Food-Web-and-Food-Chain.html

(Picture of A Food Web in the Desert Biome) http://www.ncat.edu/~student3/pt3/GP10/food_chains_and_webs.htm

Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program. Retrieved on Feb. 15, 2009 from KEEP Web site: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/WCEE/keep/Mod1?Flow/foodchains.htm

World Book Encyclopedia. (1976). Chicago, IL: Field Enterprises Education Corporation.