Unit 2 Ecosystem
Unit 2 Ecosystem
Unit 2 Ecosystem
Introduction
• The term ecosystem was first used in 1935 in a
publication by British ecologist Arthur Tansley.
• Ecosystem: A self-regulating group of biotic
communities of species interacting with one another and
with their non-living environment exchanging energy and
matter
• The term oekologie (ecology)was coined by the German
biologist Ernst Haeckel in the year 1866. Greek word
“Oikos” meaning “home” and “logos” meaning “study”
• Ecology: The study of organisms in their natural habitat
interacting with their surroundings
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration
are present in book. Examination quesions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Classification of Ecosystems Natural Ecosystems
Terrestrial
Ecosystems
Man-made Ecosystems (aquaria,
garden, dams & cropland of Forest
maize, wheat, rice). Ecosystems
Grass land
Aquatic Ecosystems
Ecosystems
Desert
Ecosystems
Fresh water
Ecosystems
Decomposers
Bacteria and fungi that decompose dead
organic matter and convert it into simpler parts
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Abiotic Components of an Ecosystem
Physical Factors
Rainfall
Humidity
Temperature
Nature of soil
Water currents
Sunlight Chemical Factors
Percentage of Water and air in soil
Salinity of Water
Oxygen dissolved in water
Nutrients present in soil
Limiting Factors
Food, water, shelter and space are limiting
factors for the growth of population of human and animals.
Functions of an Ecosystem
Energy flow (The energy flow takes place via the food
chain and food web)
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Food Chain
The transfer of food energy from the
source (plants) through a series of
organisms by repeated eating and being
eaten up is referred to as food chain.
Types:
• Grazing food chain-a common chain
starting with plant or plant product
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Pyramid of Biomass
Pyramid of energy
Pyramid of energy is used to
show the amount of energy
transferred between tropic
levels.
• Any particular region has its own set of climax species, which
are the plants that are best adapted for the area and will persist
after succession has finished, until another disturbance clears
the area.
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These are Climax Communities
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Types of ecological succession
:
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only. 30
Primary succession is the process by which an area first changes from bare
rock into a functioning ecosystem.
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Secondary Succession
• SECONDARY SUCCESSION begins in habitats where
communities were entirely or partially destroyed by some kind of
damaging event.
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Secondary succession is the process by which an ecosystem that has been
destroyed gradually returns to its previous state.
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The Circle of Life in Secondary
Succession
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Process / Stages of Ecological Succession
Invasion
•Migration- It refers to arrival of propagules, dispersion.
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Competition- As vegetation became well established,
grew, and spread, various species began to compete
for space, light and nutrients. This phase is called
competition.
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Study of some common ecosystems
• Terrestrial ecosystem
o Grassland ecosystem
o Desert ecosystem
o Forest ecosystem
• Aquatic ecosystem
o Pond ecosystem
o Ocean ecosystem
Forest Ecosystem
Abiotic Components
Inorganic and organic substances found in the
soil, climatic factors, e.g., temperature,
humidity, rainfall, and light.
Biotic Components
Producers
Different kinds of trees depending upon the climate
Consumers
Different kinds of primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers, e.g., deer,
elephant, snakes, lizards, lion, and tiger
Decomposers
These are various kinds of bacteria and fungi
Tropical rain forest
• Notable features:
– Found in tropical region (near the equator).
– High rainfall, humidity and temperature
– Large leaves
– Rich in biodiversity
– Fauna of these rainforests includes the jaguar,
tapir, okapi, boa constrictor, African grey parrot,
keel-billed toucan, crowned eagle, three-toed sloth,
spider monkey, large flying fox and more.
• Layers
– Emergent layer
– Canopy
– Understory
– Forest floor
• Example: Amazon Rainforest, Congo
Rainforest, Southeast Asian Rainforest etc.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Tropical deciduous forest
• Notable features:
– Tropical deciduous forests form
a natural cover almost all over
India.
– They are of two types-moist and
dry. Moist forests are found on
the eastern slopes of Western
Ghats, North eastern parts of
the Peninsular Chhota Nagpur
plateau and along the Shiwaliks.
– They shed there leaves for a
particular period of time.
– They are economically very
important because of timber like
sal and teak.
– The animals found here are
tiger, wolves, rabbit etc.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Sub-tropical forest
• Notable features:
– Subtropical forests are
within or bordering the
tropical zone.
– temperatures may vary
only slightly over a year
– Subtropical rainforests
occur in Central
America, the West
Indies, India,
Madagascar, mainland
Southeast Asia, and the
Philippines.
– Small deciduous trees
and shrubs are found.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Temperate rain forest
• Notable features:
– The world's largest temperate
rain forests are found on the
Pacific coast of North
America.
– Temperate rain forests are
also found in coastal Chile,
Norway, the United Kingdom,
Japan, Australia and New
Zealand.
– The mild weather conditions
– Adequate rainfall
– Coniferous trees dominate the
forest
– tall evergreen trees are also
found
– Animals: black bears, lynx,
wolves etc.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Temperate deciduous forest
• Notable features:
– Located in the mid-latitude
areas (between the polar
regions and the tropics).
– The temperature varies
widely from season to
season with cold winters
and hot, wet summers.
– During the fall, trees
change color and then lose
their leaves.
– Most of the trees are
broadleaf trees such as
oak, maple, beech, hickory
and chestnut.
– Animals: toad, chipmunk,
gray squirrel, Yellow-
breasted chat etc.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Evergreen coniferous forest
• Notable features:
– They are found just in
south of arctic tundra
– Winters are long, cold and
dry
– Sunlight is available for few
hours only
– Soil has less nutrient and
acidic
– Major trees are Pine, Fir,
Cedar etc.
– Animals: moose, deer,
reindeer, squirrels, wolves,
bears, foxes, owls,
woodpeckers hawks etc.
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Grassland Ecosystem
Abiotic Components
Biotic Components
Producers
Mainly grasses with a few scattered trees
Consumers
Deer, rabbit, giraffe, etc., are herbivores,
while wolf, leopard, etc., are carnivores
Decomposers
Mainly bacteria and fungi
Tropical grassland
• Notable features:
– Located near the equator, between
the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic
of Capricorn.
– Although these areas are overall
very dry, they do have a season of
heavy rain.
– Dominated by grasses
– May have some drought-resistant,
fire-resistant trees
– Animals: giraffes, zebras, buffaloes,
kangaroos, mice, moles, gophers,
ground squirrels, snakes, worms,
termites, beetles, lions, leopards,
hyenas, and elephants.
• Examples:
– Savannas
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Temperate grassland
• Notable features:
– Trees and shrubs are
completely absent or
rare.
– cold winters (-40 C) and
hot summers (38 C)
– Gentle slope
– Animals: Rodents,
bisons, wolves, hawks,
owls etc.
• Examples:
– Prairies (South America)
– Pampas (Africa)
– Velds (Central Europe)
– Steppes (Asia)
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Polar grassland
• Notable features:
– Severe cold and strong
wind
– Arctic wolf, arctic fox,
reindeer, migratory
birds and insects are
found.
• Examples:
– Arctic Tundra
– Permafrost: Permafrost is
soil, rock or sediment that
is frozen for more than two
consecutive years. In areas
not overlain by ice, it exists
beneath a layer of soil, rock
or sediment.
Desert Ecosystem
Characteristics:
Deserts are arid ecosystems that receive
fewer than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of
precipitation a year.
Abiotic Components
Low rainfall, high temperature, and
sandy soil
Biotic Components
Producers
Predominantly shrubs, cactus, etc.
Consumers
Different insects, lizards, reptiles, rodents, birds, etc.
Decomposers
Various bacteria and fungi
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only. 49
Desert ecosystem
• About 1/5th of the earth surface is covered with desert
• Tropical desert
– Notable features:
• It is the driest and hottest place on earth.
• Rainfall is sporadic and in some years no measurable precipitation falls at all.
– Examples: Sahara, Kalahari, Thar, Mexican deserts, Great Australian desert.
• Temperate desert
– Notable features:
• Temperate deserts can be much colder than tropical deserts
• The floor of the temperate desert is often covered by rocks and small pebbles
– Examples: Mojave, Sonoran Deserts
• Cold desert
– Notable features:
• cold deserts occur in temperate regions at higher latitudes
• hot summers but extremely cold winters.
– Examples: Atacama,
– Gobi, Great Basin, Namib, Iranian, Takla Makan, and Turkestan
Pond Ecosystem
Abiotic Components
It includes organic and inorganic substances,
atmospheric gases dissolved in water, minerals
found in dissolved state, etc.
Biotic Components
Producers
Submerged floating and emergent aquatic plants
For example, hydrilla, etc.
Consumers
May be primary, secondary, or tertiary, e.g., small fishes, mollusca, etc.
Decomposers
Chiefly bacteria,fungi, etc.
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Lake ecosystem
• Organisms of aquatic
ecosystem
– Planktons (Algae, rotifers: limited
locomotion)
– Nektons (Fishes: active swimmer)
– Neustons (Floating plants)
– Benthos (Bottom dweller: Snail)
– Periphytons (Crustaceane)
• Zonation (Stratification)
– Epilimnion (Warm, lighter,
circulating surface layer)
– Hypolimnion (Cold, viscous, non-
circulating bottom layer)
Types of lakes
• Oligotrophic lakes (Low nutrient content)
• Eutrophic lake (High nutrient content)
• Dystrophic lake (Low pH Examples:Lake Suchar II in
Poland, lakes Allgjuttern, Fiolen, and Brunnsjön in Sweden.)
• Endemic lakes (Ancient, deep, having endemic fauna)
• Desert salt lakes (High salt content Ex: Great Salt Lake
northern Utah, United States)
• Volcanic lakes
• Mermictic lakes (Permanently stratified)
• Artificial lakes
This material is for reference only. Points present in the slides are only for assistance and their elaboration are present in book.
Examination questions will be in depth and can be solved by following text book only.
Ocean Ecosystem
Abiotic Components
Largest ecosystem on the Earth. Characterized
by high salinity of water, the major ocean in the
world are Pacific, Indian, Atlantic ocean and all.
Biotic Components
Producers
Phytoplanktons
For example, diatoms, microscopic algae and other
organism are sea weed, red algae and brown algae etc.
Consumers
May be primary, secondary, or tertiary, e.g., small fishes,
molluscs.
Decomposers
Chiefly bacteria, fungi, etc.
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Streams
• Notable features:
– Stages
• Mountain highland
(Young River)
• Second phase
(Middle Aged
River)
• Third phase (Old
River)
Oceans
• Notable features:
– Marine ecosystems support a great diversity of life and variety of
habitats.
– The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.
– Plants: seaweeds, or marine algae (brown, green, red), sea grasses,
phytoplankton
– Animals: protozoans, marine invertebrates (echinoderms, mollusks,
segmented and non-segmented worms, jellies, coral, sea anemones,
hyroids) marine vertebrates (fishes, birds, mammals), and
zooplankton.
• Zones
– Coastal zone
– Open sea
• Euphotic zone (Abundant sunlight, high photosynthetic activity)
• Bathyal zone (Dim light)
• Abyssal zone (Dark zone)
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