- With sunrise comes the beginning of another day.

The sun once again brings energy directly to the earth's surface.

Energy that warms the atmosphere, the oceans and bays.

Energy that will ultimately drive the life processes of organisms.

The energy from the sun is the energy of life.

The sun's energy is distributed throughout the life forms around us.

The energy is first captured by plants.

Trees and other green plants have evolved a way to use the sun's energy through photosynthesis.

Through the photosynthesis process, the sun's energy is changed to a chemical form.

The plants directly use some of the energy produced through photosynthesis.

Plant parts themselves contain some of this energy.

Even when the leaves begin to fall from the trees in autumn, they still have chemical energy within them.

What will become of the sun's energy captured by the leaves when they have become part of the forest floor?

Will the energy go further in the living community?

The energy in the decaying leaves may in part be used by mushrooms.

As the leaves are broken down chemically, the energy present may also be used by earthworms, which feed on decayed portions of leaves that mix in the soil.

The earthworm uses the energy for movement and a variety of life processes.

It may store some energy or combine various chemicals into body parts.

But the earthworm may not keep the energy for very long.

There are a number of organisms which also need energy and some depend on the earthworm as an energy source.

One such organism is the turtle.

The energy from the earthworm now passes to the turtle as the turtle secures its meal.

Energy from the sun to the leaves to the earthworm to the turtle is not the only pathway that the energy might follow.

The energy can move through all sorts of food chains or webs.

For example, the earthworm might have become food for another type of organism such as the frog.

The frog too needs an energy source in order to survive.

It feeds on earthworms among a variety of foods.

Once again, the energy from the sun distributes to plants, to the earthworm, now to the frog.

Will the energy continue to be distributed?

Much of that acquired energy may be distributed to a snake.

The frog, which may have eaten large numbers of earthworms and various insects, is now about to have its energy distributed to another organism.

The energy will continue to pass from the snake to still other organisms.

Another way the sun's energy might be distributed is through the mouse which eats the seeds of plants.

Mice are also an energy source for other organisms.

The rat snake is now gaining its energy supply, which ultimately can be traced back to plants.

So energy is produced by the plants through photosynthesis using the sun's energy.

This energy is distributed in a variety of ways to a variety of organisms.

Some organisms obtain their energy directly from the green leaves, such as some of the caterpillars.

They gain their energy supply directly from the living plants, and that is where they are frequently found.

They also provide an energy source to a number of other organisms.

This may include the preying mattis, which feeds on those insects that feed on the plants.

And of course, the preying mattis may be eaten by still other organisms.

Regardless of which organisms capture an energy supply, the ultimate use of such energy is in the reproduction of that type of organism.

A portion is passed to the young, but the young must seek additional energy sources in order to continue.

Energy distribution is very similar elsewhere.

In the water, we find similar examples of how energy is produced by plants and is distributed within this community.

In the waters of creeks, lakes, and oceans, there are a variety of algae.

Many are microscopic in size, but their large numbers create an incredible amount of energy in the waters of the earth.

These plants also use chlorophyll and the sun's energy in the complex photosynthesis process.

Ultimately, algae also produces chemical forms of energy.

Again, the plants make the sun's energy available in a form that can be used by a variety of living organisms.

The algae may be consumed by different aquatic organisms which may be eaten by still others.

The complex group of smaller aquatic life come in all shapes and forms.

Eventually, the energy is distributed to larger organisms, including fish, which may consume large numbers of the smaller life forms.

In effect, the fish collects a large amount of energy from a large number of organisms.

The fish will use some of the energy in sustaining its own life processes.

But it will also provide an energy source to others.

The fish is a part of the food chain.

And as the energy passes from one organism to another, more of the energy originally from the sun is used up by the consuming organisms.

Again, a variety of individuals may feed on one energy source.

In this instance, the energy from the fish passes to the hermit crab, but the energy captured and used by the fish might also distribute to still other organisms.

There is seldom only one narrow path for the distribution of the energy that begins with plants and moves through animals.

The fish is an example of the different ways that energy may be distributed through the underwater community.

But the energy from the fish can also be distributed to still other types of organisms.

So energy is distributed through a variety of pathways, through a number of consuming organisms.

When the energy source is captured by larger organisms, the energy takes an inner journey.

In larger animals, the energy eventually flows through the bloodstream, moving to the individual cells of the organism.

In smaller organisms, the energy is more simply distributed.

The energy moves directly within the individual microscopic organisms to the appropriate cell parts where the energy may be stored or consumed.

Internal distribution becomes a more complex problem in the larger organisms, where larger numbers of cells must each receive energy in order to survive.

The energy is moved within the organisms.

Movement of the chemical energy is usually the result of a beating heart.

The heart of the water flea rapidly moves colorless blood through the organism.

This distributes food and energy to the individual cells.

The blood is also pumped through insects.

The blood contains food as well as certain cells that repair tears in the circulatory system.

The blood of larger organisms distributes chemical energy to huge numbers of cells.

The blood also carries oxygen, which is necessary for individual cells to utilize the chemical energy being distributed.

The inner circulatory system of larger organisms can be clearly seen in the developing fish embryo.

The fish heart pumps the blood and the pathways of the blood can be seen in the young fish.

The energy that begins with plants makes its temporary resting place within living organisms.

This energy is distributed throughout a variety of organisms and the cells of which they're made.

The energy ultimately fuels the life processes in the community of living things.