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Module 1 - Class 4

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27 views

Module 1 - Class 4

Uploaded by

josephsebastian6812
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Ecosystem - II
Functional Aspects of an Ecosystem

The functional aspects of an ecosystem include the flow of


energy and the cycling of nutrients.

Energy enters the ecosystem when inorganic compounds are


synthesised into organic compounds like carbohydrates, fats,
and proteins by the green plants through photosynthesis,
utilising solar energy from the sun. Thus, they are known as
producers. From green plants, these organic foods are passed on
to the herbivores, which in turn become a source of energy for
the carnivores. Thus, they are known as consumers.

Important Words
● Inorganic compound
● Organic compounds
● Energy flow
● Nutrient cycle
All the living organisms, whether plants or animals, in an
ecosystem have a definite life span after which they die.
The dead organic bodies of plants and animals provide
food for microbes, such as bacteria and fungi. These
microbes are known as decomposers, which ultimately
decompose the dead organic body into simple inorganic
compounds and return it to the environment. During the
process of decomposition, energy is lost in the form of heat
into the environment. Thus, in an ecosystem, energy flows
in a non-cyclic manner from the sun to the decomposers
via producers and consumers such as herbivores and
carnivores, whereas the minerals keep on moving in a
cyclic manner. Minerals are withdrawn from the soil,
deposited in the tissues of plants and animals, cycled from
one feeding group to another, return to the soil, water and
air then recycled. These two ecological processes of
energy flow and nutrient cycling, which involve interaction
between biotic and abiotic components, may be thought of
as the "heart" of the ecosystem.
Trophic Levels
In an ecosystem, the producers and consumers can be arranged into
several feeding groups. These groups are known as trophic levels.
The organisms deriving their energy from the same source or the
organisms that have the same position in the food chain are said to
belong to the same trophic level.

Photosynthetic organisms like green plants, algae, and


photosynthetic bacteria bring energy into the system by capturing
and storing light energy. Therefore, they are said to be producers.
The producers occupy the first trophic level in any ecosystem.
Herbivorous animals which feed on producers, are primary
consumers, constitute the second trophic level. Carnivorous
animals, which feed on herbivorous animals, are secondary
consumers and constitute the third trophic level. Other carnivores
which feed on secondary consumers are tertiary consumers, which
constitute the fourth trophic level. The number of steps in a food
chain is always restricted to four or five, since the energy available
decreases with each step.
Food Chain
The transfer of food energy from plants to animals and then to other
animals by successive stages of feeding is called a "food chain."

All food chains start with photosynthetic organisms. These


organisms are called producers, because they can manufacture food
from inorganic raw materials using sunlight as an energy source. The
producers, therefore, supply almost all the chemical energy used by
living organisms. The producers are the only link between the biotic
and abiotic components of an ecosystem.

The herbivores feed on the producers, and food energy is transferred


from the producers to the primary consumers. The secondary
consumer, in turn, consumes herbivores. Secondary consumers are
consumed by tertiary consumers. Some organisms are omnivorous,
eating the producers as well as the carnivorous of their lower level in
the food chain, like bears, hens, humans, etc.

Microbes like fungi and bacteria feed on dead organisms or waste


material from them, and these organisms are called decomposers.
Difference Between Food Chain and Food Web

The most important differences Between Food Chain and Food


Web are summarized below:

Food Chain Food Web

A linear pathway showing the A multitude of networks


flow of energy showing the flow of energy

An organism of higher level An organism of a higher


trophic is shown feeding on a trophic level has access to
specific organism of lower more varieties organisms of a
trophic level lower trophic level.

A food chain is a linear sequence A food web is a connection of


of organisms which starts with multiple food chains.
producer organisms and ends
with decomposer species.
Energy Flow
In a food chain, a considerable amount of the energy is lost
as heat to the environment when it is transmitted from one
organism to the next. Energy enters a food chain when the
producer builds organic compounds. The producer then uses
the chemical energy to do work and to build new materials.
Energy is used to rebuild molecules, to transport materials,
and to do many other kinds of cellular work.

Much of the chemical energy used to do work becomes heat


and is lost from the food chain. Chemical energy, which
makes up the bodies of producers, is available to herbivores.
However, the herbivores will not be able to use all of the
chemical energy stored in the producers. The herbivores use
some of this energy for processes such as moving and active
transport, and once again, a high proportion of the energy is The energy flow is the amount of energy that moves along the food chain.
lost to the environment as heat. Only a small proportion of This energy flow is also known as calorific flow. The chemical energy of
the energy is transferred to the carnivores. This pattern food is the main source of energy required by all living organisms. This
continues along the food chain, with approximately 90% of energy is transmitted to different trophic levels along the food chain. This
the energy being lost at each transfer between trophic levels. energy flow is based on two different laws of thermodynamics:
● First law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created
nor destroyed, it can only change from one form to another.
● Second law of thermodynamics states that as energy is transferred more
and more of it is wasted.
Question
Part A

1. What are primary consumers? Give two examples of primary consumers.


2. What is the function of producers in the ecosystem?
3. What are omnivores? Give examples.
4. What are tertiary consumers? Give two examples.
5. List out the main differences between food chain and food web.
6. What are secondary consumers? Give two examples.
7. What are the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
8. What is nutrient cycle?

Part B

1. Write a short essay on trophic levels.


2. What is a food chain? Give two example of food chain.
3. Explain the concept of energy flow with the help of a neat diagram.

Part C

1. Write an essay on the functional aspects of an ecosystem.

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