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ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEM OF NARAJ

A COMPREHENSIVE CASE STUDY ON BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC

COMPONENTS OF NARAJ FOREST.

BY : LABANYA MOHANTY

BACHELORS OF ARTS, MAJOR IN SOCIOLOGY

BEARING ROLL NUMBER 24DSO-034 (FIRST YEAR)

PRESENTED TO FACULTY THE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

MRS. SWAPNA SARIKA KHADANGA

RAVENSHAW UNIVERSITY CUTTACK, ODISHA

INTRODUCTION

A natural ecosystem is a self-sustaining community of living organisms (plants,

animals, and microorganisms) and their non-living environment (such as air, water,
and soil) interacting with one another in a balanced way. These ecosystems function
without significant human interference and are vital for maintaining biodiversity
and ecological balance.

Types of Natural Ecosystems

1. Terrestrial Ecosystems (land-based):

Forests: Dense tree cover, rich biodiversity (e.g.., rainforests, temperate forests).

Grasslands: Open areas dominated by grasses (e.g.., savannas, prairies).

Deserts: Arid regions with sparse vegetation (e.g.., Sahara Desert).

Tundras: Cold regions with permafrost and limited vegetation.

2. Aquatic Ecosystems (water-based):

Freshwater: Rivers, lakes, streams, ponds.

Marine: Oceans, coral reefs, estuaries.

Key Characteristics

Biodiversity: High species variety, from microorganisms to large animals.

Self-regulation: Energy flow (via food chains and food webs) and nutrient cycling
maintain balance.
Interdependence: Mutual dependence of organisms (e.g., pollination, predation,
symbiosis).

Adaptation: Organisms adapt to their specific environment for survival.

Importance of Natural Ecosystems

Climate Regulation: Forests and oceans regulate global temperatures and carbon

Abiotic and biotic factors are essential components of an ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors:

Abiotic factors are non-living components of an ecosystem that influence the

environment and living organisms. Examples include:

1. Light
2. Temperature
3. Water
4. Soil
5. Air
6. Wind
7. Salinity
8. pH levels

Biotic Factors:

Biotic factors, on the other hand, are living components of an ecosystem that
interact with each other and their environment. Examples include:
1. Producers (plants, algae, phytoplankton)
2. Consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores)
3. Decomposers (bacteria, fungi)
4. Predators
5. Prey
6. Symbiotic organisms (mutualistic, commensal, parasitic)
The interaction between abiotic and biotic factors determines the structure and
function of an ecosystem. Ecosystem is a complex network of living organisms
(biotic factors) interacting with each other and their non-living environment
(abiotic factors) in a specific area or habitat. This interaction creates a self-
regulating and stable system where energy and nutrients are cycled, and waste
is processed.

Key components of an ecosystem:

1. Producers (plants, algae, phytoplankton)

2. Consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores)
3. Decomposers (bacteria, fungi)
4. Abiotic factors (light, temperature, water, soil, air)

Ecosystems can be classified into different types, including:

1. Terrestrial ecosystems (forests, grasslands, deserts)
2. Freshwater ecosystems (rivers, lakes, wetlands)
3. Marine ecosystems (coral reefs, estuaries, open ocean)

Healthy ecosystems provide essential services, such as:

1. Oxygen production
2. Water filtration
3. Soil formation
4. Climate regulation
5. Biodiversity conservation
BIOTIC FACTORS

Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem.

Because of the way ecosystems work – as complex systems of competition and

cooperation, where the action of every life form can effect all the others – any living
thing within an ecosystem can be considered a biotic factor.

Biotic factors such as soil bacteria, plant life, top predators, and polluters can all
profoundly shape which organisms can live in an ecosystems and what survival
strategies they use.

Biotic factors, together with non-living abiotic factors such as temperature, sunlight,
geography, and chemistry, determine what ecosystems look like and what ecological
niches are available.

Types of Biotic Factors

Biotic factors are grouped by scientists into three major groups, which define their
role in the flow of energy which all living things in the ecosystem need to survive.
These groups are producers or autotrophs, consumers or heterotrophs, and
decomposers or detritivores.

Producers

Producers – also known as autotrophs, from the Greek words “auto” for “self” and
“troph” for “food” – are organisms that make their own food using inorganic
materials and energy sources.

Producers are extremely important: without them, no life could exist at all!

The very first life forms on Earth had to learn to make fuel and building materials to
make more cells out of non-living materials. That’s because when the first life forms
appeared, there were no other life forms to feed on! So the first life forms had to be
producers. Producers remain vital today as the life forms that can harness inorganic
energy to be used as fuel for life.

There are two major classes of producers:

1. Photoautotroph are by far the most common type of producer on Earth today.
These producers harness energy from sunlight to power their life functions. Green
plants, green algae, and some bacteria are photoautotroph.

Most photoautotroph use a pigment, such as chlorophyll, to catch photons from the
Sun and harvest their energy. They then package that energy into a form that all life
forms can use, and use it to create proteins, sugars, lipids, and more essential
materials for life.

In most ecosystems, plants – which are producers that are multicellular, highly
complex, and very efficient at turning sunlight into fuel for living organisms – form
the bottom of the energy pyramid. All other organisms depend on the energy plants
harvest from the Sun to survive.

2. Chemoautotrophs are fairly rare in most ecosystems. They obtain energy from
chemicals such as hydrogen, iron, and sulfur, which are not common in most
environments. Nonetheless, they can still play an important role in ecosystems
because of their unusual biochemistry.

Some methanogens – microorganisms that make methane – are chemoautotrophs.

Methane, a greenhouse gas which is much more powerful than carbon dioxide, may
play a major role in regulating the planet’s temperature. Other chemoautotrophs can
produce similarly powerful chemicals with their unique metabolisms.

It is actually not known whether the first forms of life on Earth were photoautotroph
or chemoautotrophs. Photoautotroph are more common today, but that may simply
be because sunlight is more plentiful than the chemicals chemoautotrophs use as
their energy source.

CONSUMERS

Consumers, also called “heterotrophs,” are organisms that eat other living organisms
in order to obtain energy. Their name comes from the Greek “hetero” for “other”
and “troph” for “food.”

Herbivores who eat plants, carnivores who eat animals, and omnivores who eat both
plants and animals, are all heterotrophs.

ABIOTIC FACTORS
It is the non-living part of an environment. It includes all the physical and
chemical aspects of an ecosystem.

These factors may be present in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and

lithosphere. It contributes to the continuity of life on earth by supporting the
survival and reproduction process.
The component also depends upon the type of ecosystem.
 For example, Rainfall contributes to tropical rainforest ecosystems, sand in
desert ecosystems and water, salinity, ocean currents, pressure in the marine
ecosystem.
All the factors are interrelated to each other.
All the biotic components i.e living components are directly or indirectly
dependent upon the abiotic factors. The biotic and abiotic systems work
together for maintaining the ecosystem.

Abiotic factors include:

Water
Sunlight
Temperature
Soil
Atmosphere
pH
Air Humidity
Wind
Elevation
Water
Water is an essential abiotic factor. Not only plants but animals even tiny
micro-organisms also need water for their survival. In the absence of water,
plants will die, i.e. producers will die. Even the plants in the desert require
some amount of water.
Due to dehydration, animals will die. i.e consumers
In the case of micro-organism, they need water for proper functioning
which we call water activity. We can take a simple example by giving insight
into our kitchen. Dry fruits can be stored for a long time as compared to
juicy fruits.
Among the various factors, the water activity of an organism also plays a
vital role in the spoilage of the different foods.
 If there is no water, life on earth is not possible. So, researchers assume
that if water can be found on other planets, there might be some evidence
of life too. Thus, it is often said, water is life.
Sunlight
Sunlight is the major source of energy.
 Plants require sunlight for the photosynthesis process. It is the process by
which plants make oxygen and food using carbon dioxide and water and
make it available for the animals.
 The presence of sunlight also affects the breeding cycle in animals.
Some animals are nocturnal, that they are active only at night time. It is
due to the sunlight.
Light also determines the reproductive and migratory activities.
Temperature
Temperature is an important abiotic factor in an ecosystem.
With the variations in the temperature, variations occur in the type of
plants and animals. For e.g.: Yak lives in cold regions where there is low
temperature.
 Nature has adjusted the body like the presence of long furs which make it
possible to survive.
Similarly, in the case of microorganisms, depending on the temperature
they are classified as psychrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles,
thermotolerant, extremophiles.
The presence of microbes in the Yellow stone hot spring to the Antarctic
regions suggests that variations of temperature have evolved various
mechanisms, making it suitable for survival.
The temperature determines the rate of the metabolic reactions. It affects
various enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
At the higher temperature, enzymes denature but some enzymes are
thermostable.
Example: Taq polymerase isolated from the bacterium Thermus
aquaticus can withstand the higher temperature.
It is used in the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Most of the other
enzymes will be denatured and cannot be functioned well at this
temperature.
Soil
Soil is an important abiotic factor. It is made up of rocks along with the
decomposed plants and animals.
With the help of the roots, plants acquire the water and minerals from the
soil. Soil are also of various types, whose nature and composition vary and
have different functions.
 The water holding capacity is also determined by its composition.
In the aquatic environment, depending upon the characteristics of the
sediment, it determines the type of the benthic animals
Atmosphere
Due to the atmosphere, life is sustained on the earth.
Plants use the carbon dioxide when animals use oxygen gas.
The atmosphere also protects the animals from the harmful UV radiation
from the sun.
Humans and other animals are susceptible to the damage by harmful UV
radiation.
On exposure, it may cause some genetic change as well as has the capacity
to trigger skin cancer.
It looks like a shield that provides protection to the creatures on earth.
pH
The increase or decrease in pH also affects the living creatures.
 In some parts of the world, there is an increase in acidity due to the
increase in carbon dioxide. It has created an acidic condition.
Urbanization along with industrial revolutioneering is the major factor. Due
to the increase in acidity, it is also found that the shell of the snail has also
dissolved.
Similarly, coral are also unable to survive in an acidic environment.
In the human body, gastric acid helps in killing the harmful microorganism
in the stomach.
But, the bacteria Helicobacter pylori has a urease enzyme. It increases the
pH so that it can survive in it. It is the causative agent of peptic ulcer.
The vagina is slightly acidic in nature. It is maintained by the lactobacilli so
that pathogens may not colonize in it.
Air Humidity
Humidity means the presence of water vapour in the air.
Too much of the humid environment can be dangerous to the organisms.
 Excessive water may disrupt the internal balance in the organisms in
various ways. Changes in pH may also occur.
 In order to counteract this, plants, animals, and microorganism have got
their own strategies. For e.g.: In animals, lungs and kidney helps in excess of
the water.
Wind
At the place where wind occurs regularly, plants are a bit different. They
grow closer to the ground to escape from the harsh wind
Similarly, some plants may use it for their own benefits like pollination.
Dispersal of seed can be done.
Elevation
There is a decrease in the temperature as we go up to the higher altitude.
It is also due to the low partial pressure with the increase in the elevation. At
2 km there is a decrease in the ambient partial pressure by 20 % and over 50
% at the 6km.
PICTURES OF BIOTIC COMPONENTS
ABIOTIC FACTORS
OBJECTIVES
• To assess different ecosystem of the Naraj forest .

• The importance of ecology lies in the comprehensive under standing of its

objectives.

• The important concepts discussed below throw light on various aspects of

ecology .

• The local and geographical distribution and abundance of organisms

(habitat niche, community, biogeography ( Temporal changes in the
occurrence , abundance and activities of organisms(seasonal , annual,
successional, geological).

• The inter relationship between organism in population and communities

(population ecology).

• The structural adaptations and functional adjustment of organisms to their

physical environment.

• The behaviour of organism under natural conditions (ethology).

• The evolutionary development of all these inter-relations (evolutionary

ecology).

• The biological productivity of nature and its relations with mankind.

• The development of mathematical models to relate interaction of parameters

and predict effects (systems analysis).

• The conservation and management of natural resources and

pollution(applied ecology).
CONCLUSION

The environment is a dynamic and complex system where biotic and abiotic
components interact in a variety of ways. A thorough understanding of these
components for anyone concerned with the sustainability of life on Earth.
Understanding how biotic and abiotic factors work together to maintain ecological
balance will enable better conservation efforts, sustainable resource management,
and informed decision-making about environmental issues. Everything in our
immediate surrounds, including both living and non-living things like soil, water,
creatures, and plants that adapt to their conditions, is referred to as the
“environment.” It is a gift from nature that helps to sustain life on Earth. The
survival of life on Earth depends on the environment. A biosphere component that
affects the condition of the entire planet is an ecosystem. It includes both live and
inanimate objects in the environment.

Ecosystems are made up of a combination of biotic and abiotic components. Abiotic

factors are non-living components of an ecosystem, such as water, soil, and the
atmosphere, whereas biotic factors are living creatures inside an ecosystem, such as
plants, animals, and bacteria. In an ecosystem, the way these components interact
with one another is crucial. Autotrophic organisms, such as plants, that produce their
own food, and the diversity of consumers all have an impact on the health of an
ecosystem as a whole. The survival and reproduction of organisms are influenced by
environmental variables known as abiotic factors. Abiotic limiting factors are those
that prevent populations from growing.