Classes Notes

Ecosystem, Structure of Ecosystem, Function of Ecosystem, Forest

Ecosystem, Food Chain, Trophic levels

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 Key Takeaways

Ecosystem 1

Types of ecosystem 2 Structure of ecosystem

Function of ecosystem 3

4 Forest ecosystem

Sun-source of energy 5

6 Food chain

Trophic levels 7 Grazing food chain

Summary
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 Ecosystem

❖ Ecosystem is the functional unit of nature.

❖ It is self-sustainable.
❖ Organisms interact and use available resources, such as
food, space, light, heat, water, air and shelter to survive.
❖ Each population of organisms and the individuals within it
interact in specific ways that are limited by and can
benefit from other organisms.
❖ Interactions between different organisms are numerous
and are usually described according to their positive
(beneficial), negative or neutral effect on each others.
❖ The interactions between living things and their
non-living environment makes up a total ecosystem.

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 Ecosystem

❖ It varies in size from small pond

(microecosystem) to sea or ocean.

❖ Entire biosphere (global ecosystem) = sum of

all local ecosystems.

3:4

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 Types of Ecosystem
❖ There are 2 types of ecosystem based on location - Terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems

Terrestrial

Land
ecosystem
Aquatic

Water
ecosystem

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 Types of Ecosystem

Natural ecosystem Man-made/

Anthropogenic ecosystem
Develops in nature without human interference Created and maintained by human beings

Terrestrial Aquatic

Forest Pond Aquarium Crop fields

Dessert

Grassland Ocean
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Dam Garden
 Did You Know!
❖ Agriculture or agroecosystem is the first and largest man-made ecosystem.
❖ It was formed for fulfilling the needs of the increasing human population.

3:4

Agricultural crop fields

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 Structure of Ecosystem

Solar energy; Energy loss;

Inorganic matter Degradation

Input Output

Components of ecosystem

Open system

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 Structure of Ecosystem
❖ Ecosystem is made up of biotic and abiotic components.

Biotic Abiotic
components components
Ecosystem Physical
All living
environment of
organisms
living organisms

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 Recall! Abiotic Factors

Temperature

Water
Abiotic factors

Light

Soil

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 Structure of Ecosystem
Biotic factors
Producers Consumers Decomposers

❖ Organisms which ❖ Organisms which get ❖ Organisms which

produce their own their food (energy) decompose and
food (energy) from from other living mineralize the dead
inorganic materials organisms organisms
❖ Autotrophs ❖ Heterotrophs ❖ Saprotrophs
❖ Ex. Green plants, ❖ Ex. Deer, rabbits, tiger, ❖ Ex. Bacteria, fungi,
algae, etc eagle, etc. earthworms etc.

3:4

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 Structure of Ecosystem
The interaction of biotic and abiotic components results in physical structure that is
characteristic for each type of ecosystem.

Abiotic factors

Biotic factors

Physical structure
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 Structure of Ecosystem

Species
composition
Physical structure
of ecosystem

Stratification

❖ Physical structure of ecosystem includes species composition and

stratification.

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 Structure of Ecosystem
Physical structure

Species composition

❖ Identification and listing of plants and animals in an

ecosystem.
❖ Based on geography and climate – it differs from
one ecosystem to another.

Coral reef Grassland Antarctic tundra

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 Structure of Ecosystem
Physical structure
Stratification
❖ Vertical distribution of species at different levels

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 Function of Ecosystem Components

1. Decomposition - Decomposition of dead organic matter back to

the environment

2. Productivity - Synthesis of organic matter by producers

3. Nutrient cycling - Cycling minerals and nutrients

4. Energy flow - Sustaining flow of energy

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 Forest Ecosystem
❖ As in every ecosystem, the forest has certain abiotic elements such as soil,
nutrients, sunlight, wind and water.
❖ All of these contribute to climate of the forest.
❖ The solar input, temperature, day-length and other climatic conditions regulate
the rate of function associated with the organisms of the entire forest.
❖ The green plants of the forests including trees, shrubs and mosses are the
producers in the forest ecosystem.
➢ The trees in forest are able to grow at heights due to huge amounts of
rainfall, as well as the nutrient rich soil.
➢ The shrubs, herbs and grasses occupy the lower heights and receive
sunlight after the tall trees.
➢ The moss grows as mats in the wet and shady areas.
■ They can be found on rocks, tree trunks, or even on forest floors.
❖ All these produce organic matter from the inorganic elements for themselves as
well as for the whole ecosystem by the process of photosynthesis.

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 Forest Ecosystem
❖ The consumers are living beings, which depend on other
organisms for food and survival.
❖ In the forest,
➢ deers, rabbits, rodents and grasshoppers eat plants
➢ a tiger hunts
➢ an eagle or snake eats rodents
➢ rodents eat both grasshoppers and plants
❖ All the above are examples of the ecosystem’s consumers, as
they depend on other organisms.
❖ When an organism dies, another category of organisms called
decomposers come into action. Moss growing as
❖ Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria or earthworms mats
obtain energy from the dead/decaying matter and recycle
some nutrients to the ecosystem.
❖ Flow of energy is unidirectional and some energy is lost during
all transfers.
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 Sun-Source of Energy

❖ Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) - Portion of light

spectrum that can be utilized by plants.

Visible light spectrum

400nm 500nm 600nm 700nm

❖ PAR is within light wavelengths of 400 to 700 nm.

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 Sun Source of Energy

❖ Except for the deep-sea

hydrothermal ecosystem, sun is the
only source of energy for all
ecosystems on Earth.

PAR ❖ Out of all the sunlight, less than

(50%)
50% of it can be utilized in
photosynthesis.

❖ 50 per cent of all the sun radiations

is photosynthetically active
radiation (PAR).
Photosynthetically active radiation
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(PAR)
 Sun-Source of Energy

2-10% of PAR

PAR

Only 2-10% of PAR is captured by

plants and photosynthetic bacteria

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 Energy Flow

❖ Energy from plants is transferred to other organisms.

❖ Herbs, shrubs and woody plants act as producers.
➢ Green plants of the ecosystem are producers.
➢ Examples:
Forest ecosystem: Trees
Aquatic Ecosystem: Phytoplanktons

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 Energy Flow
❖ All other organisms depend on plants (directly or indirectly) for their food needs.
❖ They are hence called consumers and heterotrophs.
➢ Herbivores are primary consumers.
■ Animals that feed on producers
■ Example:
Terrestrial system: Insects, birds, deer etc.
Aquatic system: molluscs, clams etc.
➢ Primary carnivores are secondary consumers.
■ Animals that feed on herbivores (indirectly feed on plants).
■ Example: Fox feeding on deer.
➢ Secondary carnivores are tertiary consumers.
■ Animals that feed on primary carnivores (indirectly depend on plants).
■ Example: Tiger feeding on fox.
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 Energy Flow

Secondary
consumer

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 Food Chain
Chronological (organisms
arranged order) series of
organisms each depending on
other for food.
 Grazing Food Chain

Fox
❖ As an organism Deer Secondary
consumes another consumer
Primary
organism, the energy consumer
produced by producers
is passed on to next
organism. Grazing Food Tiger
❖ Such a food chain is Chain (GFC)
known as grazing
food chain. Plants
Producer Tertiary consumer

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 Grazing Food Chain
❖ Food chain where energy is gained

❖ from photosynthesis.
❖ (Chronological series of organisms
depending on each other for food.)

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 Grazing Food Chain

Grazing food chain (GFC) examples:

Rodent
Snake Clams Fish

Primary Secondary Primary

Secondary
consumer consumer consumer
consumer

Hawk Phytoplankton
Grains

Producer Tertiary Shark

Producer
consumer
Tertiary consumer

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 Trophic levels
The position of an organism along the
food chain is called trophic level.

Organisms of a trophic level depend

on the organisms at the lower trophic
level for their energy demands.

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 Food Chain – Trophic levels
4th trophic Top carnivores
level (Tertiary consumers)

Carnivores
3rd trophic
level
(Secondary
consumers)

Herbivores
2nd trophic (Primary
level consumers)

1st trophic Producers

level
 Food Chain – Trophic levels
1st trophic level

Fresh Dry weight

weight
❖ Standing crop - measured in
terms of biomass or number
of living organisms
Biomass
Total biomass (mass of organic expressed in
matter) of producers in a unit area = fresh or dry
standing crop of producers weight

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Food Chain – Trophic levels
Standing crop of 4th
trophic level

Standing crop of 3rd

trophic level

Standing crop of 2nd

trophic level

Standing crop of 1st

trophic level
 Food Chain – Trophic levels Examples

Grains Rodent Snake Eagle

1st trophic 2nd trophic 3rd trophic 4th trophic

level level level level

Bears (eat eagle eggs &

Grains Rodent Snake Hawk Eagle chicks)

1st trophic 2nd trophic 3rd trophic 4th trophic 5th trophic 6th trophic
level level level level level level

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 Summary

❖ Ecosystem- It is the functional unit of nature which is self- sustainable.

Types of ecosystems (based on location)

Terrestrial Aquatic

Types of ecosystems (based on presence/absence of human interference)

Natural Anthropogenic

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 Summary

Structure of ecosystem
Producers
Temperature

Biotic factors
Consumers
Water
Abiotic factors
Decomposers
Light

Soil

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 Summary

Function of ecosystem components

1. Decomposition-Decomposition of dead organic matter.

2. Productivity-Synthesis of organic matter by producers.

3. Nutrient cycling-Cycling of minerals and nutrients.

4. Energy flow-Sustained flow of energy.

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 Summary! Grazing Food Chain

Deer Fox

Primary Secondary
consumer consumer

Plants Tiger

Producer Tertiary consumer

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 Summary! Trophic levels

4th trophic Top carnivores

level (Tertiary consumers)

Carnivores
3rd trophic
level
(Secondary
consumers)

Herbivores
2nd trophic (Primary
level consumers)

1st trophic Producers

level