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EC-Unit 2-Lesson 1-Ecosystem-Concept, Structure and Functions

1. An ecosystem consists of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environments. Materials cycle between biotic and abiotic components. 2. Ecosystems are divided into natural and artificial types. Natural ecosystems include terrestrial and aquatic environments and are self-regulating. Artificial ecosystems are human-made and unstable. 3. An ecosystem has biotic components including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, decomposers, and abiotic components like habitat, gases, and nutrients. Producers are plants, consumers include herbivores and multiple levels of carnivores, and decomposers break down waste.

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86 views

EC-Unit 2-Lesson 1-Ecosystem-Concept, Structure and Functions

1. An ecosystem consists of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environments. Materials cycle between biotic and abiotic components. 2. Ecosystems are divided into natural and artificial types. Natural ecosystems include terrestrial and aquatic environments and are self-regulating. Artificial ecosystems are human-made and unstable. 3. An ecosystem has biotic components including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, decomposers, and abiotic components like habitat, gases, and nutrients. Producers are plants, consumers include herbivores and multiple levels of carnivores, and decomposers break down waste.

Uploaded by

Harshit sharma
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Environment Communication

Unit-2: Lesson 1
Ecosystems: concept,
structure and functions
Dr. Rajesh Agrawal
Associate Professor, BA(JMC)
Concept
• Ecology is the science that deals with the
relationships between living organisms with
their physical environment and with each other.
• An ecosystem consists of an assembly of
mutually interacting organisms and their
environment in which materials are
interchanged in a largely cyclical manner.
• An ecosystem has physical, chemical, and
biological components along with energy
sources and pathways of energy and materials
interchange.
For the study ecology divide the environment
into following four broad categories:
1.Terrestrial environment - The terrestrial environment is
based on land and consists of biomes, such as grasslands,
one of several kinds of forests or deserts.
2.Freshwater environment - The freshwater environment
can be further subdivided between standing-water habitats
(lakes, reservoirs) and running-water habitats (streams,
rivers).
3.Oceanic marine environment - The oceanic marine
environment is characterized by saltwater and may be
divided broadly into the shallow waters of the continental
shelf composing the neritic zone
4.Oceanic region - The deeper waters of the ocean that
constitute the oceanic region.
• Ecosystems are broadly divided into
a) Natural ecosystem and
b) Artificial ecosystem
a) Natural ecosystems are those that are existing in nature; they
are further classified into –
(i) Terrestrial - includes hot desert, grass land, tropical and
temperate rainforest.
(ii) Aquatic - includes ponds, river, streams, lakes, estuaries,
oceans, mangroves, swamps and bays etc.
However these two ecosystems are self regulating, open
system with a free exchange of inputs and outputs with other
systems.
b) Artificial ecosystems are simple, human-made, unstable and
subjected to human intervention and manipulation. Usually it is
formed by clearing a part of the forest or grassland e.g. crop
field, agricultural land.
Structure of Ecosystem
An ecosystem has two components –
1.Biotic components
2.Abiotic components
1. Biotic components consisting of living things. The living
organisms may be sub divided into two parts -
(i) Producers - green plant and trees (botanical
kingdom)
(ii) Consumers (animal kingdom) – Consumers can
further subdivided into -
(a) Primary consumers,
(b) Secondary consumers,
(c) Tertiary consumers and
(d) Scavengers and parasites
Structure of Ecosystem
(a) Primary consumers,
(b) Secondary consumers,
(c) Tertiary consumers and
(d) Scavengers and parasites
(e) Decomposers
(a)Primary consumers - These are herbivorous animals
which are dependent on the green plants for their food.
For example, insects, cow, deer, buffalo, goat etc.
(b) Secondary consumers - These are carnivorous and
omnivorous animals which feed on primary consumers
and producers or both. For example, sparrows, fox, crow,
snake etc.
Structure of Ecosystem

c)Tertiary consumers - These are the top carnivorous animals


which feed on other carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous
animals. For example, lion, tiger, vulture, hawks etc.
d)Scavengers and parasites - These are the parasitic plants
and animals which make use of the living tissues of different
plants and animals. The scavengers use dead remains of
animals and plants as their feed.
e)Decomposers - Fungi and bacteria, which are the
saprophytes.
(2) Abiotic portion - consisting of elements that are not alive.
The non living constituents are said to include the following
category i.e. habitat, gases, solar radiation, temperature,
moisture, soil. water and inorganic and organic nutrients.
Functions of an Ecosystem
Ecosystem function is the capacity of natural
processes and components to provide goods and
services that satisfy human needs, either directly or
indirectly.
Each function is the result of the natural processes
of the total ecological sub-system of which it is a
part.
Natural processes, in turn, are the result of complex
interactions between biotic (living organisms) and
abiotic (chemical and physical) components of
ecosystems through the universal driving forces of
matter and energy.
There are four primary ecosystem functions -
(1)regulatory functions,
(2)habitat functions,
(3)production functions and
(4)information functions.

This grouping concerns all ecosystems, not


only for forests
• The scope of environmental studies is very
wide and it deals with many areas like
a)conservation of natural resources,
b)ecological aspects,
c)pollution of the surrounding natural
resources,
d)controlling the pollution,
e)social issues connected to it, and
f) impacts of human population on the
environment.
Elements of Environment
These elements are:
(1) Physical Elements: Physical elements are space,
landforms, water bodies, climate, soils, rocks and minerals.
They determine the variable character of the human
habitat, its opportunities as well as limitations.
(2) Biological Elements: biological elements such as
plants, animals, microorganisms and men constitute the
biosphere.
(3) Cultural Elements: cultural elements such as
economical, social and political elements are essentially
man-made features, which make the cultural background.
ENVIRONMENT STUDIES: IMPORTANCE
Environmental studies help us in the following ways:
1. We will begin to appreciate and adopt the idea of
"DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DESTRUCTION OF THE
ENVIRONMENT"
2. Knowledge about "VARIOUS TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTS &
DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS"
3. Playing an effective role in protecting the environment by
"DEMANDING CHANGES IN LAW AND ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS".
4. Having a "POSITIVE IMPACT" on "QUALITY OF LIFE".
5. Creating a "CONCERN AND RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT".
WHY ENVCOM IS SPECIAL
• Complicity of environment issues: Envcom deals with
science, laws, business management, politics, human
behavior.
• Comprehension gap: what layman knows about the
technical dimension of environment differs widely from the
knowledge of experts.
• Personal impact: nature is associated with traditional beliefs
and socio-cultural norms. Envcom triggers emotional and
spiritual dimension of human behavior and practices.
• Large scale intervention: Environment interventions often
requires coordinated action by large population, which in
communication terms, cannot be facilitated by individualistic
or small group approaches.
MEDIA SELECTION
• No medium is effective for all purposes.
• A communication strategy usually has various
information, educational and communication
objectives.
• Different media and communication channels
complement and reinforce each other.
• Strategic planning means to select which
medium or combination of media should be used
for what purpose, by whom in order to deliver
which specific message.

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