The best answer to the question is:
b. Energy and nutrients cycle through an ecosystem.
Explanation:
1. In an ecosystem, energy and nutrients play crucial roles in sustaining life processes.
2. Energy enters the ecosystem through sunlight and is captured by producers (plants) through photosynthesis.
3. This energy is then transferred through the food chain as organisms consume each other.
4. However, energy is not recycled; it flows through the ecosystem and eventually dissipates as heat.
5. Nutrients, on the other hand, are elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus that are essential for the growth and development of organisms.
6. Nutrients are recycled in the ecosystem through processes like decomposition, where dead organisms are broken down by decomposers and returned to the soil.
7. These nutrients are then taken up by plants again, restarting the nutrient cycle.
8. Therefore, while energy flows in one direction and is not recycled, nutrients cycle through the ecosystem, being used and reused by different organisms.
