This essay will discuss whether or not autotrophs are important in providing natural ecosystem services, and how photosynthesis is an important part of ecosystems and how it works. Autotrophs are organisms that able to produce energy containing organic molecules from non-organic raw materials, for example plant use photosynthesis to produce energy, another rare type of autotroph uses a process called chemosynthesis to produce energy by reacting methane or hydrogen sulphide with oxygen, they are often found in extreme environments, where the toxic chemicals required for oxidation are found, such as active volcanoes, in the volcanoes the organisms oxidise sulphur to produce energy. Autotrophs are the primary produces of the food chain, they provide the base energy of the food chain which is then transferred up the food …show more content…
a rabbit eats grass, the rabbit is then eating by a fox, in this food chain the rabbit gains energy from the grass and fox gains energy from the rabbit. The grass gains its energy from photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy into chemical energy, which is then stored in the bonds of sugars. Photosynthesis only takes place in plants and some types of algae. The process of photosynthesis takes place in the cholroplasts of the plant which are found mainly in leaves of the plant. Photosynthesis produces two carbohydrates that are polymers of hexose sugars: sucrose and leaf starch, which is used as the primary storage carbohydrate. The end products of photosynthesis are carbohydrates that are polymers of hexose, these are a glucose-fructose disaccharide and a insoluble glucose molecule (leaf starch), this leaf starch is synthesised and stored in the cholroplasts of the plant. Sucrose is synthesised in the cystol of the leaf and transported to other tissues of the plant, i.e. the roots and the seeds, which then metabolise to produce