ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

WORKSHEET 2: FINAL PERIOD

TOPIC:  ECOSYSTEM

Instruction: Discuss the following questions briefly

1. Define Ecosystem.

An ecosystem is defined as the association and interrelationship between the living

environment such as plants, animals, and organisms and the non-living community like soil, air,
and water in relation to each other. As a result, an ecosystem is a biosphere's structural and
functional unit. It is made up of living and non-living organisms, as well as their physical
surroundings.

Furthermore, Ecosystems are a kind of natural ecosystem that consists of a group of

living things and their physical surroundings, which are continuously exchanging materials and
resources. It is a function of nature or the sum total of the environment.

2. What are the three (3) categories of Living organisms in the ecosystem?

First is the Producers which are living organisms that are able to make their own food
through a process called photosynthesis. Plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to
make food. This process takes place inside of the plant, so they do not have to relocate to find
their food source. Look around you.

Second is the Consumers which are living organisms that are not capable of creating
their own food. Consumers are broken down into three categories: primary consumers,
secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. 

Last is the Decomposers that break down materials by consuming dead plants and
animals. Some people refer to them as nature's cleaners because they clean up the dead
remains that no other organisms want. 

3. Discuss Ecological Succession:

The mechanism by which the composition of a biological society varies over time is
known as ecological succession. Many vegetation can be comprised of a combination of plants
and animals that maximizes the commodities such as rainfall and nutrients the atmosphere will
offer if succession is able to occur without a significant interruption. So, Ecologists refer to an
assemblage of living organisms as a climax population when the biological community of a
particular ecosystem becomes increasingly stable.

a. Primary

The mechanism by which plants and animals colonize a sterile landscape is known as
primary succession. Seeds blown by the wind can lodge in crevices on a newly formed volcanic
island, for example, after the rock cools. They will germinate and take hold there. Weedy
species, such as fast-growing grasses, are often the first colonizing plants because they do not
grow tall but multiply rapidly. Following their germination and development, these plants die and
decompose, leaving pockets of soil for other plants and fungi to flourish in. Seeds from other
plants arrive over time as habitat occupies more and more of the island can possibly transported
by birds that begin to use the island as a stopover during migration. Hardier, taller-growing
plants shade out the early colonizers and gradually take control of the plant population. With
each new arrival of plants and animals then the habitat improves. When colonies of various
species become established over many decades, the ecosystem's composition becomes more
robust.

b. Secondary

Secondary succession varies from primary succession in that it occurs after a large
disturbance takes out a portion of a landscape, such as a catastrophic flood, explosion, tsunami,
lava flow, or human. In Secondary succession follows a similar pattern to primary succession in
that insects and weedy plants are among the first to recolonize the disturbed environment, and
these species are gradually replaced by hardier plants and animals. The emerging biological
environment will once again achieve a robust ecological system if this ecosystem is left
undisturbed for a long enough period.

4. What are the factors influencing succession?

5. Discuss the different types of Ecosystem.