LESSON 4 - Earth Ecosystem

North Eastern Mindanao State University
Formerly Surigao del Sur State University

Bislig Campus
Maharlika, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur
UNIT TWO
ECOSYSTEMS: WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO THEY WORK
Introduction
What do a tide pool on the California coast and the Amazon rainforest of South
America have in common? (Figure 2.1) Despite the many orders of magnitude
different in size, both are examples of ecosystems—communities of organisms living
together in combination with their physical environment.
Figure 1: Image credits: left, Tide pools at Half Moon Bay by Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 4.0; right,
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest by Neil Palmer/CIAT, Center for International Forestry Research,
CC BY 2.0
Organisms interact with the environment in the context of the ecosystem (eco-
relates to environment, system - implies that the ecosystem functions as a collection
of related parts that function as a unit). A community consists of all the populations of
all the species that live together in a particular area. The concepts of ecosystem and
community are closely related—the difference is that an ecosystem includes the
physical environment, while a community does not. In other words, a community is
the biotic, or living, component of an ecosystem. In addition to this biotic component,
the ecosystem also includes an abiotic component—the physical environment.
Ecosystems can be small, such as the tide pools found near the rocky shores of
many oceans, or very large, such as the Amazon Rainforest in South America (Figure
1). It's basically up to the ecologist studying the ecosystem to define its boundaries in
a way that makes sense for their questions of interest.
Ecosystems recycle materials and provide humans and other organisms with
essential natural services (such as purification of air and water, moderation of weather
extremes, soil formation and maintenance, to mention a few), and natural resources
such as nutrients.
In this unit, we look more closely at how ecosystems work and how human
activities, can disrupt the cycling of nutrients within ecosystems and the flow of energy
through them.
MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

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Unit Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit, the students must have:
1. Defined ecosystem.
2. Identified the characteristics of life.
3. Discuss the concepts, types and basic structures of ecosystem.
4. Differentiate the biotic and abiotic factors of the ecosystem.
5. Identified and discussed the major components of the ecosystem.
6. Discussed the transformation of energy in the ecosystem.
7. Explained the various nutrient cycles in the ecosystem

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Lesson 4
EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. define what ecosystem and ecology is.

2. describe the principles of the ecosystem;
3. distinguish the different terrestrial biomes
4. classify the eight levels of organization of matter in nature.
5. discuss the concepts, types and basic structures of ecosystem.
6. differentiate the biotic and abiotic factors of the ecosystem.
Definition of Terms
Ecology - is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans,
and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between
plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information
about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that
leave the environment healthy for future generations.
Ecosystem - community and its physical and chemical environment. An ecosystem

has a living (biotic) and nonliving (a biotic) component.
Biotic factors - living organisms in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factors - all environmental conditions required to support life, e.g. rainfall,
sunlight moisture, soil temperature conditions required compounds from simple
inorganic substances with the aid of energy from the sun (Photosynthetic autotrophs)
or from inorganic substance themselves (chemosynthetic autothrophs).
Community - the population of all species that occupy a habitat. Tropic level - all
organisms that are the same number of energy transfer away from the original source
of (e.g. sun light) that enters an ecosystem.
Introduction
Ecology is the study of the interactions between living organisms and their
biotic and abiotic environments. It is therefore the study of the relationship of plants
and animals to their physical and biological environment. An ecosystem consists of a
community of organisms together with their physical environment (Fig. 2.2).
Ecosystems can be of different sizes and it can be marine, aquatic, or terrestrial.

Broad categories of terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes. Biomes as large group
of ecosystems that share certain characteristics. Examples are: dessert, and forest. In

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ecosystems, both matter and energy are conserved. Energy flows through the
system—usually from light to heat—while matter is recycled.
Ecosystems with higher biodiversity tend to be more stable with greater

resistance and resilience in the face of disturbances and disruptive events.
Figure 2.2 (a) Forest Ecosystem (b)Savanna (c) Pollination (d). Predation
This tree is not alive,

but it can save
lives!............How?
Image credit: Tate

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Image Credit: Youmatter and http://www.redbubble.com/pe Figure 2.3: (a) Rainforest ecosystem (b)
Forest (c) Aquatic ecosystem
What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals, and

microorganisms in an area functioning together with all the non-living physical factors
of the environment.
According to Jaiswal (2018) ecosystem is a community of living organisms

(plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and with
the non-living components of their environment (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate,
atmosphere, ambient temperature, humidity, moisture, concentration of O2 and
CO2, and light intensity) - all influence basic physiological process crucial to survival
and growth interacting as a system (Figure 2.3). Keeping this view in mind, Tansley, in
1935, proposed the term “ecosystem”. Eco implies the environment, and ‘system’
‘implies an interacting, interdependent complex. At ecosystem level, the units of study
are comparatively very large and there are no practical units, if the nature is
conceived as a single, giant ecosystem.
Postlethwait & Hopson (2012) mentioned that life in an ecosystem is often about
competition for limited resources, a characteristic of the theory of natural selection.
Competition in communities (all living things within specific habitats) is observed both
within species and among different species. The resources for which organisms

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compete include organic material from living or previously living organisms, sunlight,
and mineral nutrients, which provide the energy for living processes and the matter to
make up organisms’ physical structures (Figure2.3).
Figure 2.4: A (a) tidal pool ecosystem in Matinicus Island in Maine is a small ecosystem, while the (b)
Amazon Rainforest in Brazil is a large ecosystem. (credit a: modification of work by
“takomabibelot”/Flickr; credit b: modification of work by Ivan Mlinaric)
Other critical factors influencing community dynamics are the components of its
physical and geographic environment: a habitat’s latitude, amount of rainfall,
topography (elevation), and available species. These are all important environmental
variables that determine which organisms can exist within a particular area.
Ecosystems can be small, such as the tide pools found near the rocky shores of
many oceans, or large, such as the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil (Figure 2.3). They are
the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health of the entire earth
system. In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role to play. The overall
view of this type of approach is that living organisms and their non-living environment
are inseparably interrelated and interact with each other.
Watch this video clip……..
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/intro-
toecosystems/v/ecosystems-and-biomes
Types of Ecosystem
What are ecosystems like? The short answer: incredibly diverse! Not only can
ecosystems vary in size, but they can also differ in just about every imaginable biotic
or abiotic feature.
There are three broad categories of ecosystems based on their general

environment: freshwater, ocean water, and terrestrial. Within these broad categories
are individual ecosystem types based on the organisms present and the type of
environmental habitat.
Miller and Spoolman (2009) stated that ocean ecosystems are the most
common, comprising 75 percent of the Earth’s surface and consisting of three basic
types: shallow ocean, deep ocean water, and deep ocean surfaces (the low depth
areas of the deep oceans). The shallow ocean ecosystems include extremely
biodiverse coral reef ecosystems, and the deep ocean surface is known for its large
numbers of plankton and krill (small crustaceans) that support it. These two
environments are especially important to aerobic respirators worldwide as the
phytoplankton perform 40 percent of all photosynthesis on Earth. Although not as
diverse as the other two, deep ocean ecosystems contain a wide variety of marine
organisms. Such ecosystems exist even at the bottom of the ocean where light is
unable to penetrate through the water.

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Freshwater ecosystems are the rarest, occurring on only 1.8 percent of the Earth’s
surface. Lakes, rivers, streams, and springs comprise these systems; they are quite
diverse, and they support a variety of fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, phytoplankton,
fungi, and bacteria.
Terrestrial ecosystems, also known for their diversity, are grouped into large
categories called biomes, based largely on climate. Examples of terrestrial biomes
such as tropical rain forests, savannas, deserts, coniferous forests, deciduous forests,
and tundra. The map below shows the broad distribution of biomes on Earth (Figure
2.6).
Grouping these ecosystems into just a few biome categories obscures the great
diversity of the individual ecosystems within them. For example, there is great variation
in desert vegetation: the saguaro cacti and other plant life in the Saguaro National
Park in Arizona, are relatively abundant compared to the desolate rocky desert of
Boa Vista, an island off the coast of Western Africa (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5: Desert ecosystems, like all ecosystems, can vary greatly. The desert in (a) Saguaro
National Park, Arizona, has abundant plant life, while the rocky desert of (b) Boa Vista island, Cape
Verde, Africa, is devoid of plant life. (credit a: modification of work by Jay Galvin; credit b:
modification of work by Ingo Wölbern).
Ecosystems are complex with many interacting parts. They are routinely
exposed to various disturbances, or changes in the environment that effect their
compositions: yearly variations in rainfall and temperature and the slower processes
of plant growth, which may take several years. Many of these disturbances are a result
of natural processes. For example, when lightning causes a forest fire and destroys
part of a forest ecosystem, the ground is eventually populated by grasses, then by
bushes and shrubs, and later by mature trees, restoring the forest to its former state.
The map in Figure 2.6 shows the diversity of the ecosystem in the various parts
of the Earth, mainly are caused by the routinely exposure to both environmental
changes and human activities.

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Image credit: Biomes:

Figure 2.6 by OpenStax
College, Biology, CC BY
4.0
The impact of environmental disturbances caused by human activities is as

important as the changes wrought by natural processes. Human agricultural
practices, air pollution, acid rain, global deforestation, overfishing, eutrophication, oil
spills, and illegal dumping on land and into the ocean are all issues of concern to
conservationists.
Equilibrium is the steady state of an ecosystem where all organisms are in

balance with their environment and with each other. In ecology, two parameters are
used to measure changes in ecosystems: resistance and resilience. The ability of an
ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances is called resistance. The
speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed, called its
resilience. Ecosystem’s resistance and resilience are especially important when
considering human impact. The nature of an ecosystem may change to such a
degree that it can lose its resilience entirely. This process can lead to the complete
destruction or irreversible altering of the ecosystem.
Nature and Scope of Ecology
Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, or

environmental science. It is an understanding of how biodiversity affects ecological
function is an important focus area in ecological studies. It deals with interaction
between living organisms with each other and their surroundings.
Ecological systems are studied at several different levels from individuals and
populations to ecosystems and biosphere level. Interactions within systems determine
distribution and abundance of organisms.

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How ecology and evolutionary biology are closely related? Hawks feeding on
mice impact mouse population and may eventually lead to selection for mice with
fur as camouflage.
Two main themes in ecology:
1. Where do organisms live? Why?

2. How many organisms are present? Why?
Biotic and Abiotic Components
Biotic - is any living component that affects the population of another

organism, or the environment (example: plants, animals, and bacteria)
Abiotic - non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect
living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems (example: sunlight, soil, and
temperature)
Major Part of a Cell
Cells are the basic units of life. All organisms (living things) are composed of
cells: the smallest and most fundamental structural and functional units of life. They
are minute compartments covered with a thin membrane and within which the
processes of life occur. The idea that all living things are composed of cells is called
the cell theory and it is the most widely accepted scientific theory in biology.
Organisms may consist of a single cell (bacteria, for instance) or huge numbers of
cells, as is the case for most plants and animals.
On the basis of their cell structure, organisms can be classified as either

eukaryotic or prokaryotic. A eukaryotic cell is surrounded by a membrane and has a
distinct nucleus (a membrane-bounded structure containing genetic material in the
form of DNA) and several other internal parts called organelles, which are also
surrounded by membranes. Most organisms consist of eukaryotic cells. A prokaryotic
cell is also surrounded by a membrane, but it has no distinct nucleus and no other
internal parts surrounded
by membranes. All
bacteria consist of a
single prokaryotic cell.
Figure 2.7. Part of a cell

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Species make up the encyclopedia of life for a group of sexually reproducing

organisms, a species is a set of individuals that can mate and produce fertile offspring.
Every organism is a member of a certain species with certain traits. Scientists have
developed a distinctive system for classifying and naming each species. We do not
know how many species are on the earth. Estimates range from 4 million to 100 million.
The best guess is that there are 10–14 million species. So far biologists have identified
about 1.8 million species. These and millions of species still to be classified are the
entries in the encyclopedia of life found on the earth. Up to half of the world’s plant
and animal species live in tropical rain forests that are being cleared rapidly (Core
Case Study). Insects make up most of the world’s known species. In 2007, scientists
began a $100 million, 10-year project to list and describe all 1.8 million known species
in a free Internet encyclopedia (www.eol.org).
Connections in Nature
Ecology (from the Greek words oikos, meaning “house” or “place to live,” and
logos, meaning “study of”) is the study of how organisms interact with their living
(biotic) environment of other organisms and with their nonliving (abiotic) environment
of soil, water, other forms of matter, and energy mostly from the sun. In effect, it is a
study of connections in nature. To enhance their understanding of nature, scientists
classify matter into levels of organization from atoms to the biosphere. Ecologists focus
on organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere (Figure 2.9).
According to Miller & Spoolman (2009), a population is a group of individuals

of the same species that live in the same place at the same time. Examples include a
school of glassfish in the Red Sea (Figure 2.8), the field mice living in a cornfield,
monarch butterflies clustered in a tree, and people in a country. In most natural
populations, individuals vary slightly in their genetic makeup, which is why they do not
all look or act alike. This variation in a population is called genetic diversity. The place
where a population or an individual organism normally lives is its habitat. It may be as
large as an ocean or as small as the intestine of a termite.
An organism’s habitat can be thought of as its natural “address.” Each habitat,

such as a tropical rain forest, a desert, or a pond, has certain resources, such as water,
and environmental conditions, such as temperature and light, that its organisms need
in order to survive. A community, or biological community, consists of all the
populations of different species that live in a particular place. For example, a catfish
species in a pond usually shares the pond with other fish species, and with plants,
insects, ducks, and many other species that make up the community. Many of the
organisms in a community interact with one another in feeding and other
relationships.
Jaiswal (2018) described ecosystem as a community of different species

interacting with one another and with their nonliving environment of soil, water, other
forms of matter, and energy, mostly from the sun. Ecosystems can range in size from a
puddle of water to an ocean, or from a patch of woods to a forest.

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Ecosystems can be natural or artificial (human created). Examples of artificial

ecosystems are crop fields, tree farms, and reservoirs. Ecosystems do not have clear
boundaries and are not isolated from one another. Matter and energy move from
one ecosystem to another. For example, soil can wash from a grassland or crop field
into a nearby river or lake. Water flows from forests into nearby rivers and crop fields.
Birds and various other species migrate from one ecosystem to another. And winds
can blow pollen from a forest into a grassland. The biosphere consists of the parts of
the earth’s air, water, and soil where life is found. In effect, it is the global ecosystem
in which all organisms exist and can interact with one another.
Credit Image (Wolfgang Poelzer/Peter Arnold, Inc)

Figure 2.8. Population (school) of glassfish in a cave in
the Red Sea.
Level of Organization in Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of life along
with the interactions between different organisms and their natural environment. It is
the branch of biology, and the name Ecology was derived from the Greek word,
which refers to the house or the environment.
There are Eight Levels of Organization, and all levels are listed according to
their size in increasing order – from small to large. From Atom→ Molecule→ Cell→
Organism → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere

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Biosphere Parts of the earth's air, water, and soil

where life is found.
Ecosystem A community of different species

interacting with one another and with
their nonliving environment of matter
and energy.
Community Populations of different species living

in particular place, and potentially
interacting with each other.
Population A group of individuals of the same

species living in a particular place.
Organism An individual living being.
Cell The fundamental structural and

functional unit of life.
Molecule Chemical combination of Two or

more atoms of the same or different
elements.
Atom Smallest unit of a Chemical element

that exhibits it
Image Credit (CENGAGENOW) Figure 2.9: Some levels of organization of matter in nature. Ecology
focuses on the top five of these levels. (Miller & Spoolman, 2009)

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Communities and Ecosystem (Klappenbach, 2021)
Community Relations. The relationships between populations in a

community are varied and may include both positive, negative, and mutually
beneficial interactions. Examples of community-level relationships include
competition (for food, nesting habitat, or environmental resources), parasitism
(organisms that survive by feeding off a host organism), and herbivory (species that
depend upon consuming local plant life to survive). These relationships often lead to
changes in the genetic makeup of the population. For example, one or
another genotype may be more successful due to certain community processes.
The System as a Whole. An ecosystem can be defined as all the interacting
components of the physical and biological world. Thus, an ecosystem can
encompass multiple communities. Keep in mind that drawing a line around a
community or an ecosystem is not a clear matter either. Communities blend together,
and there are gradients throughout nature, from one habitat to another—for instance,
the oases that exist within desert environments, or the forests that line ocean shorelines
in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Scandinavia. We can at best use the concepts
of communities and ecosystems to organize our study and understanding of the
natural world, but we are far from being able to assign exact boundaries to these
concepts.
HABITAT VS NICHE. A habitat is the physical location where members of the

population live while a niche includes all of the resources required for survival, growth,
and reproduction.
Figure 2.10. This damselfish, fungus, and cactus interact with other organisms within their
communities. They also interact with the nonliving environment.
TERRESTRIAL BIOMES. Terrestrial biomes are ecosystems with distinctive

communities of life and is found in land. Different biomes exist because of the
variations of light, temperature, and moisture across the biosphere.
Temperature and moisture are the main factors that determine the
dominant plants in each location. The vegetation then influences which other
organisms can live in each area. Other abiotic factors are wind, rocks and soil, and
periodic disturbances.

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Figure 2.11. Biomes formed when subjected to different precipitation and temperature
POLAR ICE. Polar ice is the coldest place of terrestrial biomes. They are
known for barren landscapes, glaciers, and huge ice sheets. Its monthly temperature
of below 0°C allows snow and ice to accumulate despite low precipitation levels.
Polar areas are covered in ice with some ice-free areas called Nunataks. It is extremely
cold, dry, and windy. Marine algae called phytoplankton are primary producers in
the polar ice.
Figure 2.12. Polar Ice
TUNDRA. Tundra is known for its extreme coldness and dryness. Dryness is
caused by extremely low precipitation, even less precipitation than deserts. Tundra is
still a wet place because water evaporates slowly. Its ground remains frozen year-
round, that is why there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface,

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called permafrost. Plants that grow here are small and have short growing seasons.
Animals have thick fur.
Figure 2.13. Tundra
TAIGA. Taiga is also called northern coniferous forest or boreal forest. It is the
largest terrestrial biome on Earth. It is found in cool high elevations in more temperate
latitudes. It is characterized by long, cold winters and short, wet summers that are
occasionally warm. There may be possible precipitation and it is usually in a form of
snow. Taiga soil is usually thin, nutrient-poor, and acidic but evergreen trees are
abundant here. Because it is cold and relatively dry here, only some mammals and
birds stay year-round.
Figure 2.14. Taiga

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TEMPERATE RAINFOREST. Temperate rainforest is also called temperate

coniferous forest. It has mild winters, cool summers, and abundant rain. They are
common in coastal areas that have mild winters and heavy rain. Life includes large
evergreens, amphibians, mammals, and fish.
TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST. Temperate deciduous forest occurs where
there is sufficient moisture to support the growth of large trees. It has warm summers,
cool winters, consistent rainfall. While precipitation is fairly distributed throughout the
year, ground water can be temporarily unavailable if the soil freezes on very cold
winter days. They are characterized by broadleaf deciduous trees. They have a
distinct annual rhythm in which trees drop leaves and become dormant in winter, then
produce new leaves in spring.
Figure 2.15. Temperate Rainforest (left) and Temperate Deciduous Forest (right)
TEMPERATE GRASSLAND. Temperate grassland share some of the

characteristics of tropical savanna, but they are found in regions of relatively cold
winter temperatures. It has hot summers, cold winters, and is moderately moist. The
key to the persistence of all grasslands is seasonal drought, occasional fires, and
grazing by large mammals, all of which prevent woody shrubs from invading and
becoming established. Grassland soils tend to be deep and among the most fertile in
the world, one of the reasons is grasslands have an abundant amount of mulch, or
decaying plant material that is deposited each year.
CHAPARRAL. Chaparral may be called Mediterranean shrubland. Coastal
areas that are often characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers
are dominated by this biome. It has hot and dry summers, and cool and moist winters.
There is a combination of environmental stresses in chaparral: aridity, short growing
season, low-nutrient soil, and frequent fires. Plants are resistant to fire and drought
thrive; some shrubs have strands of dense, spiny shrubs with tough evergreen leaves.
Figure 2.16. Temperate Grassland (left) and Chaparral (right)

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DESERT. Desert is the driest of all terrestrial biomes, characterized by low and
unpredictable precipitation. It is always dry. Might be cool or hot. These belts are
particularly dry because of global air circulation patterns, which result from
descending dry air absorbing available moisture. Its plants store water and most
animals are active at night.
TROPICAL SAVANNA. Tropical savanna is a grassland with scattered

individual trees. It is warm yearround and has three distinct seasons: (1) cool and dry,
(2) hot and dry, (3) warm and wet. Most savanna soils are low in nutrients, due in part
to their porosity. It is relatively simple in physical structure but often rich in number of
species. Animals are most prominent in rainy seasons and there are few trees or shrubs.
Figure 2.17. Desert (left) and Tropical Savanna (right)
TROPICAL RAINFOREST. Tropical rainforest is found in areas near the equator,

where rainfall is abundant and dry season lasts no more than a few months. It is warm
and wet. This is characterized with lush jungles and has the greatest diversity of species
of all communities.
Figure 2.18. Tropical Rainforest
ASSESSMENT TASK
Given this news article entitled “DENR stops cemetery dev’t in Cebu City with 300
mahogany trees illegally cut “from the Inquirer.Net, dated July 10, 2020, make a
reaction paper pertaining to the human impact to our ecosystem. Kindly refer to the
given rubric as your guide.

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SUMMARY
Ecology is the study of the relationships among organisms and the relationship
between them and their surroundings. These surroundings are called the environment
of the organism. An ecosystem consists of a community of organisms together with
their physical environment.
Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health
of the entire earth system. In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role
to play. The term was first used in the 1930s to describe the interdependence of
organisms among themselves and with the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic)
environment.
There are three broad categories of ecosystems based on their general
environment: freshwater, ocean water, and terrestrial. Within these broad categories
are individual ecosystem types based on the organisms present and the type of
environmental habitat. Broad categories of terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes.
Grouping these ecosystems into just a few biome categories obscures the great
diversity of the individual ecosystems within them. Scientists classify matter into levels
of organization from atoms to the biosphere.
Ecologists focus on organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and the
biosphere. A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the
same place at the same time. The place where a population or an individual organism
normally lives is its habitat. A community, or biological community, consists of all the
populations of different species that living in a particular place.
An ecosystem is a community of different species interacting with one another
and with their nonliving environment of soil, water, other forms of matter, and energy,
mostly from the sun. The biosphere consists of the parts of the earth’s air, water, and
soil where life is found. In effect, it is the global ecosystem in which all organisms exist
and can interact with one another.
In ecosystems, both matter and energy are conserved. Energy flows through the
system—usually from light to heat—while matter is recycled. Ecosystems with higher
biodiversity tend to be more stable with greater resistance and resilience in the face
of disturbances, disruptive events.
Cited References:
Miller, G. T. & Spoolman, S. E. (2009). Essentials of ecology. Brooks/Cole, Cengage

Learning.
Miller, G. T. & Spoolman, S. E. (2011). Introduction to environmental science, Second

Edition. Cengage learning Asia Pte. Ltd (Philippine Branch).
Postlethwait, J. H. & Hopson, J.L. (2012). The world of biology. Cengage learning Asia
Pte. Ltd (Philippine Branch).
Jaiswal, A. (2018). Ecology and ecosystem. Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry

University. Central University of Tamil Nadu.

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Khan Academy (2016, August 10). Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/intro-to
ecosystems/v/ecosystems-and-biome
Khan Academy (2016, August 26). Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/intro-to-
ecosystems/a/what-is-an-
Klappenbach, Laura. "Communities and Ecosystems." ThoughtCo, Sep. 12, 2021,

thoughtco.com/communities-and-ecosystems-130922.
Introduction to ecology. Retrieved from http://schleyscience.weebly.com
McGraw-Hill Education. (2016). Biology: The essentials.

LESSON 4 - Earth Ecosystem

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North Eastern Mindanao State University

Formerly Surigao del Sur State University

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Unit Learning Outcomes

At the end of the unit, the students must have:

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

1. define what ecosystem and ecology is.

Ecosystem - community and its physical and chemical environment. An ecosystem

Biotic factors - living organisms in an ecosystem.

Ecosystems can be of different sizes and it can be marine, aquatic, or terrestrial.

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Ecosystems with higher biodiversity tend to be more stable with greater

This tree is not alive,

Image credit: Tate

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals, and

According to Jaiswal (2018) ecosystem is a community of living organisms

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Watch this video clip……..

There are three broad categories of ecosystems based on their general

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Image credit: Biomes:

The impact of environmental disturbances caused by human activities is as

Equilibrium is the steady state of an ecosystem where all organisms are in

Nature and Scope of Ecology

Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, or

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Two main themes in ecology:

1. Where do organisms live? Why?

Biotic and Abiotic Components

Biotic - is any living component that affects the population of another

Major Part of a Cell

On the basis of their cell structure, organisms can be classified as either

Figure 2.7. Part of a cell

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Species make up the encyclopedia of life for a group of sexually reproducing

According to Miller & Spoolman (2009), a population is a group of individuals

An organism’s habitat can be thought of as its natural “address.” Each habitat,

Jaiswal (2018) described ecosystem as a community of different species

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Ecosystems can be natural or artificial (human created). Examples of artificial

Credit Image (Wolfgang Poelzer/Peter Arnold, Inc)

Level of Organization in Ecology

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Biosphere Parts of the earth's air, water, and soil

Ecosystem A community of different species

Community Populations of different species living

Population A group of individuals of the same

Organism An individual living being.

Cell The fundamental structural and

Molecule Chemical combination of Two or

Atom Smallest unit of a Chemical element

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Communities and Ecosystem (Klappenbach, 2021)

Community Relations. The relationships between populations in a

HABITAT VS NICHE. A habitat is the physical location where members of the

TERRESTRIAL BIOMES. Terrestrial biomes are ecosystems with distinctive

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Figure 2.12. Polar Ice

MST-PEE (People and Earth Ecosystem) I by Rodrigo Sumuob

Figure 2.13. Tundra