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Introduction Ecosystem

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Shivam Shekhar
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16 views24 pages

Introduction Ecosystem

Uploaded by

Shivam Shekhar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction to

Ecology
What is an Ecosystem?
• All living organisms + the
nonliving environment in a
certain geographical location
• In other words, an ecosystem is
made up of biotic as well as
abiotic factors
• Examples: a pond, a forest, an
estuary, a grassland
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic factors affect living organisms in an ecosystem
Fires destroy forests, but can sometimes help a forest community by allowing
new organisms to thrive

Early or unexpected Wind can affect


frost can kill plants and the way an
an entire food chain. organism grows
Biotic factors affect the abiotic
factors in an ecosystem

Lichens on rocks help break them Dead organisms and animal


down into soil. Lichens are made waste contribute to soil nutrients
up of algae and fungi. (with the help of decomposers,
of course)
The Biosphere
• All the ecosystems of
the planet put
together, form the
biosphere.
Food
Chain
• A food chain describes
a single pathway that
energy and nutrients
may follow in an
ecosystem. There is one
organism per trophic
level, and trophic levels
are therefore easily
defined. They usually
start with a primary
producer and end with a
top predator.

• Here is an example of a
food chain:
phytoplankton →
zooplankton → fish →
squid → seal → Orca
(Killer whale)
Food chains always start with
producers
• Plants, algae and certain types of bacteria
called cyanobacteria are producers
• Producers use radiant energy (sunlight) to
synthesize chemical energy (sugar)
• In other words, plants perform a complex
set of chemical reactions called
photosynthesis
• Producers are also called “autotrophs”
which means self-feeders, because they
make their own food.
Primary Consumers
• Organisms that eat plants
are called primary
consumers
• Primary consumers are
herbivores – the only eat
plant material

•Primary
consumers are
right above
plants in any
given food chain
Secondary, tertiary, quaternary
consumers
• Secondary consumers are those that eat primary consumers, tertiary
consumer secondary and so on…
• These consumers are either carnivores (sometimes insectivores or
egg eaters), or ominvores

The extinct oviraptor (egg thief)


Scavengers
• Scavengers are animals that do not
kill for a meal, but pick on “leftovers”
from other animals
• Hyenas, vultures, crows, racoons,
and some bears are scavengers
Decomposers
• Decomposers or detritivores are organisms that
degrade or decompose dead or organic material
in simpler molecules
• Fungi and bacteria are decomposers
FOOD
WEB
A combination of
different food chains is
called a food web.

Can you identify


all the different
organisms and
their levels?
Energy is eventually lost as heat on the top of the pyramid

The last level contains secondary,


tertiary consumers –
heterotrophs, carnivores,
omnivores

The second level has


primary consumers –
heterotrophs, herbivores.
10% of the energy from the 1st
trophic level is available to the
2nd trophic level
The first level always
has autotrophs

90% of the energy at any given trophic level is used for growth
and reproduction, and is eventually lost as heat.
Pyramid of Biomass or
Numbers
Just like energy, biomass decreases at each level, because there is only
enough energy at that level to support the biomass found there.
Definitions
• Habitat – where an organism lives
• Niche – the organism’s role in its
environment – what does it do for a living?
Symbiosis
• Organisms of different kinds living together
in the same ecosystem
• Any of the following relationships are
considered to be symbiotic:
- Predator – prey
- Parasite – host
- Commensalism
- Mutualism
- Pathogen - host
How nutrients cycle
• Nitrogen cycle
• Carbon cycle
• Water Cycle

These are some of the various nutrient


cycles on Earth.
Nitrogen Cycle
Carbon cycle
Limiting Factors

• Any abiotic factor that


limits the survivability of
organisms in a particular
ecosystem is called a
limiting factor
• Examples: Water in a
desert, light in the deepest
parts of the ocean (abyssal
and benthic zones), etc.
Population Dynamics
• A population is defined as the number
of individuals in one particular species
in a particular place, at a given time.
For example: The population of
zebras in Kenya in the year 1980
• Population density : The number of
organisms per unit of land area or
ocean volume

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