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Module - I Lesson 3

The document is a lesson on ecosystems from an environmental science module. It defines an ecosystem as a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment. It describes the biotic components as the living parts, including producers, consumers, and decomposers, and the abiotic components as the non-living physical and chemical factors. It explains how energy and nutrients flow through the ecosystem as the biotic and abiotic components interact, work together, and affect each other.

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MILANA John francis
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
70 views

Module - I Lesson 3

The document is a lesson on ecosystems from an environmental science module. It defines an ecosystem as a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment. It describes the biotic components as the living parts, including producers, consumers, and decomposers, and the abiotic components as the non-living physical and chemical factors. It explains how energy and nutrients flow through the ecosystem as the biotic and abiotic components interact, work together, and affect each other.

Uploaded by

MILANA John francis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

MODULE I

INTRODUCTION
Lesson 1
Definition, Scope, Importance and
Interdisciplinary Nature of
Environmental Science

Lesson 2
Seven Environmental Laws of Ecology
and Principles of Sustainability

Lesson 3
The Nature of Ecosystems, Biotic and
Abiotic Components

Lesson 4
Biogeochemical Cycles
Types of Biomes
Interactions in the Ecosystem

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LESSON 3
Nature of Ecosystems, Biotic,
and Abiotic Components

Learning Objectives for Lesson 3

1. Describe the components of an ecosystem

2. Differentiate between biotic and abiotic components and how they affect
each other Do you think there is any sort of collaboration between the living
and the nonliving components of the ecosystem

Do you think there is any sort of collaboration between the living and the
nonliving components of the ecosystem?

Ecosystem

o An ecosystem is the basic unit of the field of the scientific study of


nature. According to this discipline, an ecosystem is a physically defined
environment, made up of two integral components:
eco refers to a part of the world, and
system refers to the coordinating units
o The simplest definition of an ecosystem is that it is a community or
group of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a
specific environment. The living organisms of habitat and their
surrounding environment function together as a single unit.
o The ecosystem is called as an ecological unit.
o The term first appeared in a publication by the British ecologist Arthur
Tansley in 1935.
o The ecosystem is an open system that receives energy from an outside
the sun, as input, fixes, and utilities the energy and ultimately consumes
the heat into space as output.

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For instance, tropical forests are ecosystems made up of living beings such as
trees, plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms that are in constant interaction
between themselves and that are affected by other physical (sun, temperature) or
chemical (oxygen or nutrients) components.

An ecosystem may be of very diverse sizes. It may be a whole forest or as


small as a pond. Diverse ecosystems are often separated by geographical
barriers, like deserts, mountains, or oceans, or are isolated otherwise, like
lakes or rivers.

An ecosystem has an environmental factors for physical and biological


components, and interactions between them. An ecosystem is characterized
by an assemblage of biotic and abiotic functions and factors.

The organisms are usually harmonious with each other and with their
environment in an ecosystem. The introduction of new environmental
factors or new species can have disastrous results, eventually leading to the
collapse of an ecosystem and the death of many of its native species.

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Image retrieved at https://www.toppr.com/guides/biology/ecosystem/components-of-ecosystem/

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Freshwater (Standing) ecosystems occur on only 1.8% of Earth’s surface.


That cover lakes, rivers, streams, and springs. Despite being small, they are
diverse and support different kinds of animals, plants, fungi, protists, and
prokaryotes.

Marine ecosystems comprise 75% of Earth’s surface and consist of three


basic types: deep ocean water, shallow ocean, and ocean bottom.
Phytoplankton, small photosynthetic organisms, suspended in ocean waters
that perform 40% of all photosynthesis on Earth.
Shallow ocean ecosystems constitute extremely biodiverse coral reef
ecosystems. Underwater ocean bottom ecosystems contain a wide variety of
marine organisms. These ecosystems are so deep that light is unable to
reach them.

Terrestrial ecosystems, are grouped into broad categories called biomes


and are known for being diverse. A biome is a large-scale community of
organisms, primarily defined on land by the dominant plant types that exist
in geographic regions of the planet with similar climatic conditions.
Examples of biomes include tropical rainforests, savannas, deserts,
grasslands, temperate forests, and tundras.

Photo by http://www.bio.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/Bio301M/aquahab.html

Macro and Microecosystem


Depending upon existence and dimension, ecosystems are classified as
Macroecosystems and Microecosystems.
o Macroecosystems are dimensionally larger systems, such as a forest or
a lake.
o micro-ecosystems are experimental set-ups in the field or laboratory
built by life scientists and environmental biologists interested in
evaluating the functional mechanisms of an ecosystem. It may be an
aquatic or a terrestrial micro-ecosystem.

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Biotic Components

Biotic components (biocenosis) include all living organisms and their


products. This group consists of all animals, plants, bacteria, fungi, and
their waste products like fallen leaves or branches or excreta. These are in
constant interaction and are, therefore, in a situation of interdependence.
Biotic components are classified based on their activity, categorized into:
o Producers - producers or autotrophs make their food.
Photosynthesis is the process where producers, such as plants,
make food is used for its energy or maybe eaten by consumers
o Consumers - Consumers or heterotrophs need to eat food that
autotrophs have produced. There are different types of
consumers. Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eat animals.
Omnivores eat both plants and animals.
o decomposers - Decomposers are heterotrophs that break down
the dead tissue and waste products. The decomposers play a
crucial role in the ecosystem because they recycle the
nutrients. Bacteria and fungi are the primary decomposers.

Abiotic Components

Abiotic components are the physical and chemical factors that act on living
organisms at any part of their life, also known as ecological factors. The
abiotic factors differ from ecosystem to ecosystem.

o In an aquatic ecosystem, the abiotic factors include water pH,


sunlight, turbidity, water depth, salinity, available nutrients,
and dissolved oxygen.
o In terrestrial ecosystems, abiotic factors include soil, soil
types, temperature, rain, altitude, wind, nutrients, sunlight,
etc.

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The sun is the primary energy source. Producers such as plants use this
energy to synthesize food in the presence of carbon dioxide and chlorophyll.
The heat from the sun, through several chemical reactions, turns into
chemical energy.

The herbivores highly depend on plants for the energy requirements. The
carnivores, in turn, feed on the herbivores and other carnivores. At any
level, microbes then decompose any dead and decaying organic matter.
After various chemical reactions, these decomposers release molecules back
to the environment in the form of chemicals. The producers again use the
substances, and the cycle starts again.

In conclusion, ecosystems have a multiple set of synergies that occur between


the biotic and abiotic components. The components of an ecosystem are
connected through the energy flows and nutrient cycles. Despite having no
clear boundaries, the interactions get affected when one factor is changed or
removed and ultimately can affect the entire ecosystem.

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Summary of Structure and Function of Ecosystem

Structural Aspects – components that make up the structural aspects of an


ecosystem include:

1. Inorganic aspects – C, N, CO2, H2O


2. Organic compounds – protein, carbohydrates, lipids – links abiotic to
biotc aspects
3. climate regimes – temperature, moisture, light, and topography
4. producers – plants
5. Macroconsumers – phototroph’s (large animals)
6. Microconsumers – saprotrophs, absorbers (fungi)
Functional Aspects
1. Energy cycles
2. Food chains
3. diversity – interlinkages between organisms
4. nutrient cycles – biogeochemical cycles
5. evolution

THINK!

A. Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic components using a


Venn Diagram

B. Based on the examples below of the essential abiotic factors,


write (A) if it is a topographic factor, (B) if it is edaphic factors,
and (C) if it is climatic factors.
1. altitude 6. soil moisture
2. precipitation 7. light
3. atmospheric humidity 7. surface slope
4. temperature 9. soil pH
5. wind 10. substratum

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Module I

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