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Ecosystems

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7 views

Ecosystems

lecture notes

Uploaded by

thrinadhindrapally9311
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ECOSYSTEMS

ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem is a biological environment
consisting of all the living organisms or Biotic
components, in a particular area, and the
nonliving, or Abiotic components such as air, soil,
water and sunlight with which the organisms
interact.
ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem consists of the biological
community that occurs in some locale, and the
physical and chemical factors that make up its
non-living or abiotic environment. There are many
examples of ecosystems -- a pond, a forest, an
estuary, a grassland.
CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM
The term ecosystem was coined in 1935 by
the Oxford ecologist Sir Arthur G. Tansley to
encompass the interactions among biotic and
abiotic components of the environment at a given
site.

The living and non-living components of an


ecosystem are known as biotic and abiotic
components, respectively.
Ecosystem was defined in its presently accepted
form by Eugene Odum as, “an unit that includes
all the organisms, i.e., the community in a given
area interacting with the physical environment
so that a flow of energy leads to clearly defined
trophic structure, biotic diversity and material
cycles, i.e., exchange of materials between living
and non-living, within the system”
CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM
Smith (1966) has summarized common characteristics
of most of the ecosystems as follows:

1. The ecosystem is a major structural and functional


unit of ecology.
2. The structure of an ecosystem is related to its species
diversity in the sense that complex ecosystem have
high species diversity.
3. The function of ecosystem is related to energy flow
and material cycles within and outside the system.
4. The relative amount of energy needed to maintain an
ecosystem depends on its structure. Complex
ecosystems needed less energy to maintain
themselves.
5. Young ecosystems develop and change from less
complex to more complex ecosystems, through the
process called succession.
6. Each ecosystem has its own energy budget, which
cannot be exceeded.
7. Adaptation to local environmental conditions is the
important feature of the biotic components of an
ecosystem, failing which they might perish.
8. The function of every ecosystem involves a series of
cycles, e.g., water cycle, nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle,
etc. these cycles are driven by energy. A continuation
or existence of ecosystem demands exchange of
materials/nutrients to and from the different
components.
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem can be represented by
depicting the producer-consumer relation
ship in the given ecosystem. This is called
Trophic Structure of an ecosystem.
ECOSYSTEM

STRUCTURE OF AN ECOSYSTEM
ABIOTIC BIOTIC
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS

Inorganic Substances
C,N,S,O, Co2, Water etc. Producers

Organic Substances Consumers


Proteins, Carbohydrates, (Primary, Secondary,
Fats, humic substances
Tertiary)
Climatic factors
Sunlight, Temparature, Decomposers
wind etc.
FUNCTIONS
In an ecosystem there are two processes
proceeding simultaneously

i) Energy Flow
ii) Biogeochemical Cycle.
Important Functional aspects of an ecosystem are;
 Ecosystem allows flow of energy and cycling of minerals
so the system remains stable and there is continuity in
life.
 Ecosystem is related to processes and events that change
energy and materials with in biotic and abiotic components

 Every component of ecosystem performs certain function.


Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Energy in an Ecosystem
 Autotrophs
 Organism that collects energy from sunlight
or inorganic substances to produce food
 Heterotrophs
 Organism that
gets it energy
requirements by
A lynx is a heterotroph.
consuming other organisms
Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

 Detritivores eat fragments of dead matter in


an
ecosystem, and
return nutrients
to the soil, air,
and water
where
the nutrients
can
be reused by
organisms. Fungus
Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Models of Energy Flow


 Food chains and food webs model the
energy flow through an ecosystem.
 Each step in a food chain or food web is
called a trophic level.
Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Food Chains
 A food chain is a
simple model that
shows how energy
flows through an
ecosystem.
Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Food Webs
 A food web is a
model representing
the many
interconnected food
chains and pathways
in which energy flows
through a group of
organisms.
Principles of Ecology

Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Ecological Pyramids
 A diagram that can show the relative
amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of
organisms at each trophic level in an
organism
Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

Cycles in the Biosphere


 Energy is transformed into usable forms to
support the functions of an ecosystem.
 The cycling of nutrients in the biosphere
involves both matter in living organisms
and physical processes found in the
environment such as weathering.
Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

The Water Cycle


Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

The Carbon and Oxygen Cycles


Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

Long-term Cycle
 Organic matter converted to peat, coal, oil,
or gas deposits (carbon)
 Calcium carbonate (carbon and oxygen)
Short-term Cycle
 Burning fossil fuels (carbon)
Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

The Nitrogen Cycle


 The capture and
conversion of
nitrogen into a form
that is useable by
plants is called
nitrogen fixation.
Principles of Ecology

Cycling of Matter

The Phosphorus Cycle


Thank You

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