Basic concepts of Ecosystem

• Definition
• Ecology :is the study of interactions among
organism or group of organisms with their
environment. The environment consists of
both biotic components (living organisms)
and abiotic components (non – living
organisms).
 Ecosystem
• The term Ecosystem was first
proposed by A.G. Tansley in
1935. An ecosystem consists of
the biological community that
occurs in some locale, and the
physical and chemical factors
that make up its non-living
environment. There are many
examples of ecosystems - a
pond, a desert, a forest, an
estuary, an ocean.
 Ecosystem
• Ecosystem is the basic functional unit of Ecology.
Definition: A group of organisms interacting
among themselves and with environment is
known as ecosystem. Thus an ecosystem is a
community of different species interacting with
one another and with their non living
environment exchanging energy and matter.
Ecology is the study of ecosystems. Example
Animals cannot synthesis their food directly but
depend on the plants either directly or indirectly.
 Biotic (living) components • Abiotic (non
living)
• An ecosystem has two major
• • Biotic (living) components
• • Abiotic (non living) components
• Biotic components: The living organisms (or)
living members in an ecosystem collectively
called biotic components (or) biotic
community.
• Ex: Plants, Animals, Microorganisms
Ecosystem
 Classification biotic components
• The members of biotic components of an
ecosystem are grouped in to three based on
how they get food.
• • Producer (Plants)
• • Consumer (Animals)
• • Decomposers (Micro-organisms)
 1.Producers (Autotrophs)
• Producers synthesise their food
themselves through
photosynthesis
• Ex: All green plants, trees.
Photosynthesis The green
pigment called chlorophyll,
present in the leaves of plants,
converts CO2 and H2O in the
presence of sunlight into
carbohydrates. 6CO2 + 6H2O ---->
C6H12O6 + 6O2 This process is
called photosynthesis
 2.Consumers (Heterotroph)
• also called as Heterotrophs: Classification of
consumers Consumers are further classified as
(i) Primary consumers or Herbivores or Plant
eaters: Primary consumers are also called
herbivores, they directly depend on the plants
for their food. So they are called plant eaters.
Examples : Insects, rat, goat, deer, cow etc.
• (ii) Secondary consumers (primary carnivores)
(Meat eaters): Secondary consumers are primary
carnivores, they feed on primary consumers. They
directly depend on the herbivores for their food.
Ex: Frog, cat, snakes, small birds, etc.,
• (iii) Tertiary consumers (Secondary carnivores)
(Meat-eaters) Tertiary consumers are secondary
carnivores, they feed on secondary consumers.
They depend on the primary carnivores for their
food. Ex: Hawk, Eagle, Tiger, Lion, etc.,
• Omnivore: Organisms that feed both on
plants and animals. Ex: Human, rat, birds.
• Detritivore: They feed on dead organisms,
wastes of living beings and partially
decomposed matter. Ex: Termites,
earthworm, ants etc.
 3. Decomposers
• Decomposers :attack the dead bodies of
producers and consumers, and decompose
them into simpler compounds. During the
decomposition inorganic nutrients are
released. The inorganic nutrients together
with other organic substances are then
utilised by the producers for the synthesis of
their own food. Ex. Microorganisms like
bacteria
 Nutrient and Energy flow in ecosystems.

• The functioning of an ecosystems may be

understood by studying the following terms.
Energy and material flow.
• Food chains
• Food webs
• Food pyramids
 ENERGY FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEMS
• • Energy is the most essential
requirement for all living
organisms.
• • Solar energy is the only source to
our planet earth. • Solar energy is
transformed to chemical energy in
photosynthesis by the plants
(Primary producers).
• • Some amount of chemical energy
is used by the plants for their
growth and the remaining is
transferred to consumers by the
process of eating.
• • Thus the energy enters the
ecosystems through photosynthesis
and passes through the different
tropic levels or feeding levels.
 FOOD CHAIN
• A food chain refers to a linear sequence of organisms
showing how energy or nutrient flows through an
ecosystem when one organism consumes another for
its survival. It provides information about which species
eats which other species in nature. Typically, a food
chain is represented by a diagram where arrows show
the direction of energy and nutrients flow.
• Many herbivores eat grass, and deer can eat other
plants besides grass. Even a tiger can eat many types of
animals and plants. Thus, each animal is part of multiple
food chains.
FOOD CHAIN
 Food chains are classified into two main
types
• Grazing food chain : Found in Grassland ecosystems
and pond ecosystems. Grazing food chain starts
with green plants (primary producers) and goes to
decomposer food chain or detritus food chain
through herbivores and carnivores.
• • Detritus food chain: Found in Grassland
ecosystems and forest ecosystems. Detritus food
chain starts with dead organic matter (plants and
animals) and goes to decomposer food chain
through herbivores and carnivores.
 FOOD WEB
• The interlocking pattern of various food chains in an
ecosystem is known as food web.
• In a food web many food chains are interconnected,
where different types of organisms are connected at
different tropic levels, so that there are a number of
opportunities of eating and being eaten at each tropic
level.
• Grass may be eaten by insects, rats, deer's, etc., these
may be eaten by carnivores (snake, fox, tiger). Thus
there is a interlocking of various food chains called
food webs
FOOD WEB
Significance of food chains and food webs

• Food chains and food webs play a very important role in the
ecosystem.
• Energy flow and nutrient cycling takes place through them.
• They maintain and regulate the population size of different
tropic levels, and thus help in maintaining ecological
balance.
• They have the property of bio-magnification. The non –
biodegradable materials keep on passing from one tropic
level to another. At each successive tropic level, the
concentration keep on increasing. This process is known as
bio-magnification.
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
• “Graphical representation of structure and function
of tropic levels of an ecosystem, starting with
producers at the bottom and successive tropic
levels forming the apex is known as an ecological
pyramid.”
• In food chain starting from the producers to the
consumers, there is a regular decrease in the
biomass and number of the organisms.
• Since energy is lost as heat in each tropic levels, it
becomes progressively smaller near the top.
 PYRAMIDS of number
• It represents the of individual organisms present in each tropic
levels. Ex: A grassland Ecosystem
• • The producers in the grasslands are grasses, which are in size and
large in numbers. So the producers occupy lower tropic level (1St
tropic level).
• • The primary consumers (herbivores) are rats, the 2nd tropic level.
Since the number of rats are lower Compared to the grasses, the
size is small.
• • The secondary consumers (carnivores) are snakes, which occupy
the 3rd tropic level. Since the number of snakes are lower when
compared to the rats.
• • The tertiary consumers (carnivores) are eagles, which the next
tropic level. The number and size of the last level is till smaller.
PYRAMIDS of number
 Pyramid of Biomass
• It represents the total amount of biomass (mass or
weight of biological material or organism) present in
each tropic levels. Ex: A forest ecosystem
• • The above figure shows that there is a decrease in
the biomass from the lower tropic level to the higher
tropic level. This because the trees (producers) are
maximum in the forest, which contribute a huge
biomass. The next tropic levels are herbivores (rabbit,
deer) and carnivores (snakes, fox). Top of the tropic
level contains few tertiary consumers (lion, tiger), the
biomass of which is very low.
 Pyramid of Energy
• This pyramid indicates not only the amount
of energy flow at each level, but more
importantly, the actual role the various
organisms play in the transfer of energy.
• An energy pyramid illustrates how much
energy is needed as it flows upwards to
support the next trophic level. • Always there
is a huge loss of energy.
Pyramid of Energy
Lecture II
 TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
• Natural ecosystem: These operate themselves under natural
conditions. Based on habitat types, it can be further classified into
three types.
• Terrestrial ecosystem: This ecosystem is related to land. Ex:
Grassland ecosystem, forest ecosystem, desert ecosystem, etc.,
• Aquatic ecosystem: This ecosystem is related to water. It is further
sub classified into two types based on salt content. • Fresh water
ecosystem (a) Running water ecosystems. Ex: Rivers, Streams… (b)
Standing water ecosystems Ex: Pond, lake…
• • Marine ecosystem Ex: Seas and sea shores…
• Man – made (or) Artificial ecosystems: Artificial ecosystem is
operated (or) maintained by man himself. Ex: Croplands, gardens…
Desert Ecosystem
 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
• The aquatic ecosystem deals with water
bodies. The major types of organisms found
in aquatic environments are determined by
the water’s salinity. Types of aquatic life zone
Aquatic life zones are divided into two types.
1. Fresh water life zones Eg. Ponds, streams,
lakes, rivers.
• 2. Salt water life zones Eg. Oceans, estuaries.
 FUNCTION OF AN ECOSYSTEM
• The function of an ecosystem is to allow flow of energy
and cycling of nutrients.
• Functions of an ecosystem are of three types.
• • Primary function: The primary function of all
ecosystem is manufacture of starch (photosynthesis). •
Secondary function: The secondary function of all
ecosystem is distribution energy in the form of food to
all consumers.
• • Tertiary Function: All living systems diet at a particular
stage. These dead systems are decomposed to initiate
third function of ecosystems namely “cycling”.
 Ecosystem services: Services provided by the natural
environment which benefit people

Services provided by ecosystems Provisioning - timber, food, clean air Regulating

- climate, flooding Cultural - health, recreation and tourism Supporting - soil
formation, water cycling Social and economic prosperity
Nature and health - benefits There is compelling evidence that contact with
nature can: • alleviate stress and mental health problems • improve
physicalhealth • help recovery from illness • improve quality of life for older
people • enhance social interaction and improve communitycohesion • reduce
aggression, violence andcrime • improve children’swell-being into adulthood
Nature’s role in adaptation to climate change • Urban environments (water
retention, shade, cooling, pollution control) • Flood alleviation • Renewable
energy (woodfuel)
Benefits of the ecosystem services approach Understanding the full value of the
natural environment enables: • decisions on the natural environment that do not
compromise benefits to society, business and the economy • improved delivery
of services through better use of the natural environment • reduced business risk
and increased business opportunity
 It provides numerous environmental
services like
• Ø Nutrient cycling,
• Ø Maintaining biodiversity
• Ø Providing wildlife habitat
• Ø Affecting rainfall patterns
• Ø Regulating stream flow
• Ø Storing water
• Ø Reducing flooding
• Ø Preventing soil erosion
• Ø Reclaiming degraded land & many more…. Apart from environmental values,
forest ecosystems have some traditional values as well.
• Ø Fire Wood & Timber.
• Ø Fruits.
• Ø Gums.
• Ø Herbs & drugs.
 Biodiversity
• Biodiversity or Biological diversity means a
variety of living beings on earth. It explains
the degree of variation of life. Biological
diversity includes a microorganism, plants,
animals and also ecosystems such as coral reefs,
forests, rainforests, deserts etc. It denotes the
wealth of biological resources available to us,
on our planet. Biodiversity developed during 3.5
billion years of evolution.
 Role of Biodiversity

Biodiversity contributes in a variety of ways.

Ecological stability Biodiversity provides
ecological stability. Every species performs a
particular function within an ecosystem. The
organisms capture the energy from the sun (sole
source of energy on the Earth) and store it, they
produce organic material, decompose organic
material. Biodiversity helps in water and
nutrients cycle throughout the ecosystem, it also
prevents soil erosion, helps to fix atmospheric
gases in order to make them usable by different
organisms. The climate is regulated by the
biodiversity.
 A healthy ecosystem provides support
of production and services which are essential to
humans for survival. These include soil
fertility, pollinators of plants, predators,
decomposition of wastes, purification of the air
and water, stabilization and moderation of the
climate, decrease of flooding, drought and other
environmental disasters.
Threats to Biodiversity
Conservation of Biodiversity and its
management