ABSTRACT
Energy flow represents a fundamental ecological concept with a unifying role among the partial plant, animal, and microorganism studies. It is based on trophic relations between various organisms and constitutes the “driving force” for the function of the ecosystem. The energy source for the biosphere is solar radiation. Biomass is defined as the energy content of an organism, population or ecosystem. The phenomenon of energy loss along the food chain is responsible for an important ecological mechanism known as biomagnification that increases the toxic consequences of polluting substances which cannot be easily broken down. Photosynthesis is the basic production process supporting Earth’s ecosystems from an energy point of view. Respiration is the basic ecological process of energy consumption. An important factor affecting biomass increase may, under specific conditions, become the critical factor that inhibits the production of one or more populations or trophic levels.
