Question

What are the differences between flow of matter and energy in an ecosystem? Why?

Answer 1

The flow of matter is:

When an animal consumes food they are basically consuming matter.  This is because matter is found in the form of carbon, nitrogen and other elements. This is how matter flows through the different levels of the ecosystem. Matter flows from the producers to the consumers. 

The flow of energy is:

The flow of energy in the ecosystem mostly happens in the environment as transfer of heat. This is because plants tap energy from the sunlight and when the matter cycles through the ecosystem energy is also transferred. 
The primary energy source is the sun that is on Earth. Autotroph-photosynthesizers absorb the sun's energy and produce organic compounds to be used by heterotrophs. This therefore facilitates flow of energy in the food chain in the ecosystem 

Answer 2

Explanation:

The flow of energy in the Ecosystem mostly happens in the environment as heat is transferred