Flow of Energy and Matter Through Ecosystems
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Provided by: Khan Academy|Published on: October 27, 2022
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9101112AP
Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This animated video explains how energy is created and transferred between plants and animals through photosynthesis, consumption, and decomposition.
- This video introduces students to how energy flows and how matter is recycled in an ecosystem and could be used to supplement content in an AP Biology or AP Environmental Science class.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Khan Academy
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video uses simple animations and easy-to-understand explanations of complex processes.
- Students and teachers can ask and answer questions on the online forum and keep track of their progress throughout the module by creating a free account.
Additional Prerequisites
- This resource requires access to the internet.
- Students should be familiar with concepts like energy, photosynthesis, metabolism, and ecosystems.
- This video is part of a nine-part module on energy flow through ecosystems.
Differentiation
- There is a list of vocabulary terms and digital text chapter available on this site, along with other videos and an interactive quiz that students can explore.
- This video can be used in biology classes during lessons on food chains, food webs, and the carbon cycle and in chemistry classes during lessons about how molecules flow through the biosphere.
- Have students consider how energy flows and how matter is recycled in ecosystems around them and in ecosystems they are a part of.
- Have students investigate what factors may cause a disruption to the flows mentioned in the video and what impacts that can have on the ecosystem as a whole.
This video from Khan Academy is essentially explaining the law of conservation of mass. To the best of our knowledge of the physics of our universe, matter, nor energy, can be created or destroyed - it simply changes form. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
