Flow of Energy and Matter Through Ecosystems

• 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.

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 resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.