University of Fallujah. College of Applied Science. Dept. of Pathological Analysis. 2 Stage

This document discusses ecosystems and their components. It defines an ecosystem as a functional unit encompassing the interaction between living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components. The abiotic components include physical factors, inorganic substances, and organic compounds. The biotic components are producers (plants), primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), omnivores, and decomposers (bacteria and fungi). Ecosystems perform functions like energy flow through food chains and nutrient cycling. Ecosystems can be classified based on diversity and presence of components.

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University of Fallujah. College of Applied Science. Dept. of Pathological Analysis. 2 Stage

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University of Fallujah.

College of Applied Science.

Dept. of Pathological analysis.

2nd Stage.
Health ecology
2
• Ecosystems

You know that earth is perhaps the only planet in the solar system that supports life.
The portion of the earth which sustains life is called biosphere. Biosphere is very
huge and can not be studied as a single entity. It is divided into many distinct
functional units called ecosystem. All the living and nonliving things that interact in
a particular area make up an ecosystem. The term ‘ecosystem’ was coined by Sir
Arthur George Tansley in 1935. An ecosystem is a functional unit of nature
encompassing complex interaction between its biotic (living) and a biotic (non-
living) components.
• Components of an ecosystem
• (A)- A biotic components (Nonliving): The a biotic component can be grouped
into following :-

• (1) Physical factors: Such as sun light, temperature, rainfall, humidity and
pressure. They sustain and limit the growth of organisms in an ecosystem.

• (2) Inorganic substances: Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur,

water, rock, soil and other minerals.

• (3) Organic compounds: such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. They are the
building blocks of living systems and therefore, make a link between the biotic
and a biotic components.
• (B) Biotic components (Living)

• (1) Producers (autotrophs, i.e. self feeders): The green plants manufacture food for
the entire ecosystem through the process of photosynthesis. Green plants are
called autotrophs, as they absorb water and nutrients from the soil, carbon dioxide
from the air, and capture solar energy for this process.

• (2) Consumers (heterotrophs, i.e. other feeders) : They are called heterotrophs and
they consume food synthesized by the autotrophs. Consumers, depending on their
food habits, can be further classified into three types
• Consumers can be further classified into three types
• Herbivores (Primary consumers),e.g. deer, rabbits, cattle, etc., are plant eaters and
they feed directly on producers. In a food chain, they are referred to as the
primary consumers.

• Carnivores (Secondary consumers) are meat eaters and they feed on herbivores
(primary consumers). They are thus known as secondary consumers. They are
animal eaters, e.g. lions, tigers.

• Omnivores (Third- and higher-level consumers) eat both plants and animals, e.g.
pigs, rats and humans.
• (3) Decomposers: Also called saprotrophs. These are mostly bacteria and fungi
that feed on dead decomposed and the dead organic matter of plants and animals
by secreting enzymes outside their body on the decaying matter. They play a very
important role in recycling of nutrients. They are also called detrivores or detritus
feeders.
Producers
Plants
Simple organic
matter
Primary consumers
Herbivores

Decomposers Secondary consumers

Bacteria, Fungi Carnivores

The main components of an ecosystem

• Functions of ecosystem

Ecosystems are complex dynamic system. They perform certain functions. These
are:-

(1) Energy flow through food chain

(2) Nutrient cycling (biogeochemical cycles)

(3) Homeostasis (tendency of ecosystem to resistance the changes)

Types of ecosystems
Ellenberg, (1973) has classified the world into a hierarchy of ecosystems. Biosphere
is the largest. Next lower level is mega-ecosystems such as marine ecosystems
(ecosystems of fresh water) and terrestrial ecosystems. The lower level is Macro-
ecosystems which divided into microecosystems (such as mountain and valleys).
We can also divide ecosystems according to diversity of these systems, such as
freshwater systems, estuaries ecosystems, marine ecosystems and terrestrial
ecosystems.
• While, it can be divided the ecosystems depending on the presence of the major
components (a biotic substances, producers, consumers and decomposers) to a
complete ecosystems and incomplete ecosystems. The ecosystems which do not
contain all the four basic components of ecosystem and they may lack one or more
are called incomplete ecosystems. For example, depths of the sea and caves lack
producers but contain only consumers and decomposers.
Thank you