INTRODUCTION TO ECOSYSTEM

An ecosystem can be defined as a unit of ecological studies that includes all the interactions
between living organisms with their surrounding non-living environment.
In other words, the living community of plants and animals in any area together with the non-
living components of the environment such as soil, air and water, constitute the ecosystem.
A.G. Tansley (in 1935) defined the Eco-system as 'the system resulting from the integrations
of all the living and non-living actors of the environment'. Thus, he regarded the Eco-systems
as including not only the organism complex but also the whole complex of physical factors
forming the environment.
Ecosystem varies in the size and number of organisms they consist of. When the ecosystem is
land-based it is called a terrestrial ecosystem and when it is water-based it is called an aquatic
ecosystem.

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 ASPECTS OF ECOSYSTEM

There are two aspects by which we can study ecosystem, which are as follows:

 Structural Aspect:

1. Abiotic Components (Environmental 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 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.

PHYSICAL FACTORS:
 Light, Topography
 Temperature, Moisture

PHYSICAL FACTORS:

 Light: Sunlight fuels life on Earth, driving photosynthesis, shaping

ecosystems, and influencing climate and animal behaviour.
 Topography: Topography describes the Earth's surface features like
mountains and valleys, influencing everything from weather to species
distribution.
 Temperature: Temperature shapes life on Earth, influencing the distribution
and adaptations of organisms from hot springs to icy landscapes.
 Moisture: Moisture, or humidity, can be detrimental to organisms, disrupting
internal balance and pH levels, but life forms have evolved strategies, like
animal kidneys and lungs, to manage excess water.

ORGANIC COMPONENTS: 2
 Nutrients like Carbohydrates, Protein, Lipids
 Components that link abiotic to biotic
ORGANIC COMPONENTS:
Nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, are essential organic components
that connect the abiotic and biotic elements of an ecosystem.

INORGANIC COMPONENTS:
 CO2, N, H2O, C
 All inorganic components, i.e. chemical compounds

INORGANIC COMPONENTS:
Inorganic components, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and carbon, comprise the
chemical compounds essential for life.

2. Biotic Components (Organisms):

 Biotic factors relate to all the living things in the ecosystem.
 Their presence and their biological by-products affect the composition of
an ecosystem.
 Biotic factors refer to all living organisms from animals and humans, to
plants, fungi, and bacteria.
 The interactions between various biotic factors are necessary for the
reproduction of each species and to fulfil essential requirements like food,
etc.

PRODUCERS:
 Plants

PRODUCERS:
Plants, as producers, create food through photosynthesis, forming the base of most food
chains.

CONSUMERS:
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 Animals
CONSUMERS:
Consumers are organisms, primarily animals, that cannot produce their own food and
instead eat other organisms for energy.

DECOMPOSERS:
 Microorganisms like Bacteria, Worms, Mushrooms
(Fungi)

CONSUMERS:
Decomposers are organisms, like bacteria and fungi, that break down dead organisms
and waste, returning nutrients to the environment.

FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS/ FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEM

Functions of Ecosystem
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 Energy Cycle Food Chain Diversity

Nutrient Cycle Evolution

1. Energy Cycle:

o Primary producers (autotrophs) such as trees, grasses, and other plants use
photosynthesis to turn solar energy into chemical energy, namely glucose.
o This energy they create via photosynthesis is then transferred to the primary
consumers (heterotrophs) who eat those plants. In a forest, this could be deer, mice,
insects, squirrels, chipmunks, etc. From there, secondary and tertiary consumers
will eat those primary consumers and incorporate their energy into themselves. In a
forest, this could include foxes, small birds, birds of prey, wolves, bears, etc.
o When any of these organisms dies, decomposers will break them down and use that
energy for themselves. In a forest, this includes fungi, bacteria, certain insects, etc.
o At each step of this cycle, some energy is lost through heat. The cycle begins again
with the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy with producers.

2. Food Chains:

o A food chain explains which organism eats another organism in the environment.
o The food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where nutrients and energy is
transferred from one organism to the other.
o This occurs when one organism consumes another organism.
o It begins with the producer organism, follows the chain and ends with the
decomposer organism.
o After understanding the food chain, we realise how one organism is dependent
upon another organism for survival.

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3. Diversity:

o The different plant and animal species are linked to one another through food chains.
o Each food chain has three or four links.
o However, as each plant or animal can be linked to several other plants or animals
through many different linkages.
o These inter-linked chains can be depicted as a complex food web.
o This is thus called the 'web of life' that shows that there are thousands of
interrelationships in nature.

4. Nutrient Cycles:

o Nutrient cycles are processes that move nutrients from the environment to living
organisms and back, where they are recycled and reused.
o Nutrient recycling involves both biotic and abiotic components. The main abiotic
components are air, water, soil.
o Recycling of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Oxygen occurs in water, air and soil,
whereas calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc. are recycled mainly in soil and are
available locally.
o These consists of Two types -
o Gaseous cycles e.g. Carbon cycle, Nitrogen cycle etc.
o Sedimentary cycle e.g phosphorus cycle, sulphur cycle

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 o This Carbon released from ecosystem as CO2 gas is used by plants to prepare
carbohydrates which is used by animals as food.
o Animals and plants again release CO2 through respiration gas by the process of
respiration.

5. Evolution:
o Ecological succession is a process through which ecosystems tend to change over a
period of time.
o If a forest is cleared, it is initially colonized by a certain group of species of plants and
animals, which gradually change through an orderly process of community
development.
o One can predict that an opened-up area will gradually be converted into a grassland, a
shrub land and finally a woodland & a forest.
o Evolution of man from Monkeys is the result of ecological succession.

DIVISION OF ECOSYSTEM

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1. Producers:
 The producers are biotic factors that are very important in an ecological system
because these organisms “produce” food from inorganic materials and energy
sources.
 Life may not be able to exist without them. They have the capability to produce
complex organic compounds, such as fats, carbohydrates, and proteins using
inorganic ingredients, such as water and carbon dioxide.
 They convert these inorganic molecules into organic compounds by using
chemical reactions (chemosynthesis) and light (photosynthesis). In other words,
producers store the energy from abiotic sources by converting them into complex
compounds, which, in turn, are consumed by other organisms. Plants on land and
algae in water are examples.
 Plants produce their own food from carbon dioxide in the air and water from the
Earth.

2. Consumers:
 They are also known as heterotrophs.
 They don’t prepare their own food by themselves as the producers. It includes all
the heterotrophs.
 Herbivores: Animals like a cow, buffalo, the goat which depend directly on
plants for food. They are primary consumers.
 Carnivores: Animals like lions, tigers, which are flesh-eating animals. They
depend on the herbivores for food. They are secondary consumers.
 Omnivores: Animals like dog, cat which eat depend on both the plants and
animals.

3. Decomposers:
 They are also known as detritivores.
 They use organic compounds as the source of energy from the producers and
consumers.
 In an ecosystem, decomposers play a vital role, as the complex substances are
broken down into simpler forms.
 Such a simpler form can be further utilized again by the other organisms. It
includes different soil bacteria, fungi, worms, and flies.
 When the animals die they get decomposed because of decomposers. Even plants,
fruits start rotting, it’s because of decomposers.
 Decomposers play the important role in metabolizing waste products.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ECOSYSTEM:

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 Structure and Function: As mentioned above, ecosystems have both a structural
(components) and functional (processes) aspect.
 Interdependence: All components of an ecosystem are interconnected. Changes in
one part of the system can affect others.
 Dynamic: Ecosystems are not static; they are constantly changing due to natural
events (like fires or floods) or human activities.
 Self-regulating: Ecosystems have some capacity to regulate themselves through
feedback mechanisms. For example, predator-prey relationships help maintain
population balance.
 Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling: These are fundamental processes. Energy flows
in one direction (usually from sunlight to producers to consumers), while nutrients
cycle within the ecosystem.
 Species Composition: The types and numbers of species present in an ecosystem
contribute to its characteristics.
 Stratification (in some ecosystems): Many ecosystems, particularly terrestrial ones,
show vertical layering (stratification), like the different layers of a forest (canopy,
understory, forest floor).