Question

Think about ecological processes (Energy and Matter Cycles) that are occurring in your own area. Responses should include a minimum of a paragraph to fully answer each question. They should include specific examples of species or processes in your neighborhood.

What are some of the inputs of energy and matter into your neighborhood?

What are some of the outputs of energy and matter out of your neighborhood?

Answer 1

In my neighbourhood, there is a park which is full of greenery. There are a lot of plants and trees over there like Eucalyptus, mango, neem etc and shrubs like Hibiscus, Jasmine, tomato, sunflower etc. There are many beautiful flowering plants also along with lots of green grasses. The common thing between all these is they are all producers as they do photosynthesis and capture the energy of the sun to produce food in the form of carbohydrates.

Now all human inhabitants including their pet animals like dogs, cats, cows, buffalos and also birds like parrots, pigeons, canary along with many stray animals, insects are all consumers. Some of which are primary consumers like Caterpillars, insects, grasshoppers, termites and hummingbirds, some of them are secondary consumers like izards, robins, and frogs.etc. are all heterotrophs who depend directly or indirectly on producers. So all the animals including humans are the sources which are responsible for the input of energy from the plants and plants are responsible for taking the energy from the sun.

Finally, there are decomposers like microorganisms for example bacteria, fungi etc. that decompose all living matter after death to again recycle the nutrients and the substances they were once made of. Thus these decomposers are responsible for the output of energy.