How Organic Food is Used by the Body

      Plants convert this energy into organic matter. This matter serves as food for all animals directly or indirectly. In this process of nature, each and every organism plays a definite role in the energy Circulation. The overall organic life can be visualised as a network

     Producers- these are green plants and other organisms which are able to synthesise organic food from raw materials with the help of solar radiation. This process is known as photosynthesis. Producers break down a part of organic food in respiration to obtain chemical energy for various body activities. Dissipation of energy occurs as heat. The rest of the organic food is used in body building.

                                     Assimilation of Foods

     Consumers- They are animals which feed on other organisms, primary consumers (herbivores) obtain their food directly from plants. For example-in aquatic ecosystem a major part of is devoured by herbivores. Herbivores digest the ingested food. The digested food is then assimilated. A major part of assimilated food is broken down to release energy in the process of respiration.

                             Ecosystem Recycling of Foods.

     Primary consumers are eaten by primary carnivores, the latter by secondary carnivores and so on. At each step of the food chain a major part of food is broken down to release energy. It can be transformed from one tropic level to another. No energy transformation is cent percent efficient. Some of it is always lost to the environment. On the other hand, nutrient materials needed to sustain life can be reused over and over again. They are constantly recycled or circulated through the ecosystem.

                                   Bacteria and fungi

     De composers- They are bacteria and fungi. They attack the dead bodies of consumers and producers and convert organic matter into inorganic forms that are suitable for reuse by producers.

     Picture courtesy: motivatehealthyhabit.com