Energy transformation in nature:

Energy constantly moves through ecosystems, but most of it gets lost rather than stored. When plants capture sunlight, they only keep about 1-10% as chemical energy in their tissues. The rest is lost as heat. When animals eat plants, they again lose most energy—up to 90%—through movement, breathing, and body heat.

Think of a Nigerian farm growing maize. The maize plant captures solar energy, but only uses a small fraction for growth. When a cow eats this maize, the cow uses energy to walk, digest, and maintain body temperature. Very little energy remains for the cow's growth. This is why pyramids of energy always point upward—you need many plants to feed few animals.

This energy loss happens at every feeding level, which is why ecosystems support far fewer top predators than plants.

Solar radiation is the energy from the sun that reaches Earth. When sunlight hits our planet, some of it gets absorbed by the land, water, and atmosphere, warming them up. This is solar intake. However, not all radiation stays on Earth. Some bounces back into space through reflection from clouds, water surfaces, and dust particles. Additionally, Earth's surface absorbs heat and then radiates it back as infrared radiation. Some of this escapes to space while some gets trapped by greenhouse gases, creating the greenhouse effect.

In Nigeria, you can observe this daily. During the harmattan season in the north, dust particles reflect more sunlight, reducing solar intake and making it cooler. Conversely, the wet season brings cloudy skies that trap more heat, increasing temperatures.

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