How is the law of conservation of energy related to the fact that ecosystems can function as open systems?
A. Organisms can travel from one ecosystem to another.
B. Energy destroyed in one ecosystem is created in another.
C. Ecosystems can create energy for other ecosystems to use.
D. Energy that leaves an ecosystem is still conserved in a larger system.
D. Energy that leaves an ecosystem is still conserved in a larger system.
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another. In an ecosystem, this means that energy is constantly being transferred between organisms and their surroundings, but the total energy in the system remains constant.
Ecosystems are open systems because they exchange energy with their surroundings, such as through the intake of sunlight and nutrients and the release of waste products. Despite this exchange, the total energy remains constant because of the law of conservation of energy. Energy leaving one ecosystem may be used by other ecosystems, but it is not destroyed, only transferred in the larger system.