ECOSYSTEM

Key Terms

There are several key terms that we use when referring to the various different components of an
ecosystem and their levels of organisation:

 Ecology: The study of living things in their environment

Habitat: The habitat is the home of a plant or animal- the place where it lives
Species: Different individuals of the same kind. A biological species is a group of organisms
that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring.
Environment: The environment of a living thing is everything around it that could affect its
survival.
A population is defined as a group of organisms of the same species living in the
same place at the same time
A community includes all of the populations living in the same area at the same
time

Within a community, each species depends on other species for food, shelter,
pollination, seed dispersal etc.
If one species is removed it can affect the whole community
This is called interdependence
 Ecosystem: The ecosystem is made up of the community of living things and the abiotic factors.
 Biotic factors includes all the living components such as plants and animals
 Abiotic factors includes all the non-living components such as light intensity, mineral ions,
water availability.

 Ecosystems can vary greatly in size and scale.

 A small ecosystem might be a garden pond.

 A large ecosystem might be the whole of Antarctica.
Levels of organisation in an
ecosystem
Food Chain & Web Definitions

Food Chains

 A food chain shows the transfer of energy from one organism to the next, starting with a
producer.

 The source of all energy in a food chain is light energy from the Sun
 The arrows in a food chain show the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next
 Energy is transferred from one organism to another by ingestion (eating)
Food Webs
 A food web is a network of interconnected food chains
 Food webs are more realistic ways of showing connections between organisms within
an ecosystem as animals rarely exist on just one type of food source

 Food webs give us a lot more information about the transfer of energy in an
ecosystem
 They also show interdependence - how the change in one population can affect
others within the food web
 For example, in the food web above, if the population of earthworms decreased:
o The population of grass plants would increase as there are now fewer species
feeding off them
o The populations of frogs and mice would decrease significantly as
earthworms are their only food source
o The population of sparrows would decrease slightly as they eat earthworms
but also have another food source to rely on (caterpillars)
 Most of the changes in populations of animals and plants happen as a result of human
impact - either by overharvesting of food species or by the introduction of foreign
species to a habitat
 Due to interdependence, these can have long-lasting knock-on effects to organisms
throughout a food chain or web

INVESTIGATING A HABITAT

 1. Study of Plants- Quadrats

 Quadrats are square frames made of wood or wire

 They are placed on the ground and the organisms
within them are recorded
 Plants species are commonly studied using quadrats
to estimate the abundance.
  Quadrats can be used to measure abundance by recording:
o The number of an individual species: the total number of individuals of a
single species (eg. buttercups) is recorded
o Species richness: the total number of different species is recorded
o Percentage cover: the approximate percentage of the quadrat area in which an
individual species is found is recorded

2. Study of Plants- Line transect

A transect is a line across a habitat or part of a

habitat. It can be as simple as a string or rope placed
in a line on the ground. The number of organisms of
each species along a transect can be observed and
recorded at regular intervals.

A transect is usually used to investigate a gradual

change in a habitat rather than to simply estimate the
number of organisms within it.

3. Study of small animals- Collecting soil and litter

Soil and litter samples collected from a habitat are tested

for the presence of small animals. The soil sample is placed
in a set up as shown above. The heat from the bulb causes
the small animals to move down and fall into the collecting
beaker at the bottom.

4. Study of small animals - Sweep net: To collect flying insects from a habitat.
5. Study of pond animals- Drag net: To collect pond animals from the pond bed for analysis.

6. Study of pond animals- Pond dipping: To collect and study pond animals living on the surface of
the water.

Types of ecosystems
Types of Ecosystem
An ecosystem can be as small as an oasis in a desert, or as big as an ocean, spanning
thousands of miles. There are two types of ecosystem:

 Terrestrial Ecosystem
 Aquatic Ecosystem

Terrestrial Ecosystem
Terrestrial ecosystems are exclusively land-based ecosystems. There are different types of
terrestrial ecosystems distributed around various geological zones. They are as follows:

1. Forest Ecosystem
2. Grassland Ecosystem
3. Tundra Ecosystem
4. Desert Ecosystem

Forest Ecosystem

A forest ecosystem consists of several plants, particularly trees, animals and microorganisms
that live in coordination with the abiotic factors of the environment. Forests help in
maintaining the temperature of the earth and are the major carbon sink.

Grassland Ecosystem

In a grassland ecosystem, the vegetation is dominated by grasses and herbs. Temperate

grasslands and tropical or savanna grasslands are examples of grassland ecosystems.

Tundra Ecosystem

Tundra ecosystems are devoid of trees and are found in cold climates or where rainfall is
scarce. These are covered with snow for most of the year. Tundra type of ecosystem is found
in the Arctic or mountain tops.

Desert Ecosystem

Deserts are found throughout the world. These are regions with little rainfall and scarce
vegetation. The days are hot, and the nights are cold.

Aquatic Ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems present in a body of water. These can be further divided
into two types, namely:

1. Freshwater Ecosystem
2. Marine Ecosystem

Freshwater Ecosystem

The freshwater ecosystem is an aquatic ecosystem that includes lakes, ponds, rivers, streams
and wetlands. These have no salt content in contrast with the marine ecosystem.

Marine Ecosystem

The marine ecosystem includes seas and oceans. These have a more substantial salt content
and greater biodiversity in comparison to the freshwater ecosystem.
Symbiosis: The Art of Living Together
Symbiosis is a term describing any relationship or interaction between two
different organisms.
The specific kind of symbiosis depends on whether either or both organisms benefit from the
relationship.

Human impacts on an ecosystem

Humans interact with the world around us every day, but some of our actions are
more harmful than others. As our population approaches 7 billion people, the effects
of human activities on the ecosystem, including the water, air, land and the life that
we share the worldwith, are almost immeasurable.

 Habitat loss occurs through land-use changes, such as the clearing of a

forest to plant crops, and through activities, such as mining, that directly
destroy natural landscapes.

 Pollution occurs when harmful substances enter the environment. Examples

of pollutants include disruptive light or noise from human activities, or
harmful chemicalwastes. For example, the nitrogen in fertilizer runoff can
 induce the rapid overgrowth of algae in oceans. These algal blooms choke the
surrounding waters of available oxygen, resulting in dead zones, or nutrient-
depleted regions that can't support plant.or animal life. Acid rain is a result of
air pollution which can have significant impacton an ecosystem.
 The overexploitation of natural resources directly correlates with the need
to provide food and housing to an ever-growing human population.
Overfishing, for example, removes fish from the oceans faster than they can
be replaced through reproduction, stressing the balance of the ecosystem.
Burning fossil fuels and cutting old-growth forests are other examples of
overexploitation, as these resources can’t bereplaced once they are gone.
 Climate change describes a long-term shift in global weather patterns.
While climatechange is a global phenomenon, it has significant effects at the
regional level. For example, the climate in some temperate regions has
shifted and is now characterized by hotter summers and less annual rainfall.
Climate change is occurring relatively quickly (in terms of geologic time),
putting species that can’t adapt to changing conditions at risk of extinction.
The changes in global climate we are seeing today canbe attributed primarily
to human activities (such as the burning of fossil fuels) that lead to global
warming.

Conservation of an ecosystem: Reasons to conserve