Ecological energetics

Ecological energetics is the study of how energy flows through ecosystems. It examines how energy is produced, transferred, and used by different organisms—from plants capturing sunlight to animals consuming food. This process shows how energy moves up the food chain and how much energy is lost at each step as heat. Understanding this helps explain how ecosystems sustain themselves, how efficient different interactions are, and how energy availability influences the diversity and structure of living communities. Essentially, ecological energetics reveals the underlying energy dynamics that support life on Earth.