ECOLOGY

 Study of Ecosystems
 Is the study of interactions among organisms or
group of organisms with the environment.
 The environment consists of both biotic
components and abiotic components

1
 ECOSYSTEM

A group of organisms interacting among themselves and

with environment.
It is a community of different species interacting with one
another and with their non-living environment exchanging
energy and matter.
It include plants, animals, and micro-organisms; soil,
rocks, and minerals; as well as surrounding water sources
and the local atmosphere.

2
 BIOME
A kind of organisms which can live in a particular ecosystem
depends on their physical and metabolic adoptions to the
environment of that place.

Many sets f ecosystems which are exposed to same climatic

conditions and having dominant species with similar life cycle,
climatic adoptions and physical structure.

The Biome is a small ecosystem with in an ecosystem

3
 TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM

(Man-made)
Croplands, gardens

Grassland,
forest,
desert

Pond, lake
Sea shores

River, stream 4
 STRUCTURE / COMPONENTS OF
ECOSYSTEM
 Explains the relationship
Abiotic
between the abiotic and biotic components

components
 Abiotic components are non-
living components in the Ecosystem
environment.
 Biotic components of the
environment are living
organisms Biotic
components

5
1. ABIOTIC COMPONENTS
Non-Living components (physical & Chemical) of an ecosystem
collectively form its community
Example: Climate, soil, water, air, energy, nutrients
1. PHYSICAL components
- includes energy, climate, raw materials and living space that the
biological community needs.
useful for the growth and maintenance of its member
Air, water, soil, sunlight
2. CHEMICAL components
- Source of essential nutrients

(a) organic substances

Protein, lipids, carbohydrates
(b) Inorganic substances
Micro (Al, Co, Zn, Cu) and macro (C, H, O, P, N, K) elements
6
2. BIOTIC COMPONENTS
Living organisms in an ecosystem collectively form its community
Made of different species
1. AUTOTROPHIC (self nourishing components) components
- Producers
Derive energy from sunlight and make organic compounds from inorganic
substances
Green plants, algae,
2. HETEROTROPHIC components
- Cosumers and decomposers
Dependent on others for food

(a) Macro consumers

Herbivores, omnivores or carnivores
(b) Saprotrophs (Micro consumers)
Decompsers (bacteria, fungi)
MEMBERS OR CLASSIFICATION OF BIOTIC
COMPONENTS

BIOTIC
COMPONENTS

Based on how do they get their food

8
1. Producers (Autotrophs): Synthesize their food by themselves
through photosynthesis
Example: Plants and Trees
h
6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Chlorophyll

2. Consumers (Heterotrophs): Organisms, which cannot prepare

their own food & depend mainly on producers
Examples:
 Plant eating species
Insects, rabbit, goat, deer, cow
 Animal eating species
Fish, lions, tiger

9
 Types of Consumers:

Primary consumers (HERBIVORES) Plant eaters

Insects, rat, goat, deer, cow, horse
Secondary consumers (1° CARNIVORES) meat eaters
Frog, cat, snakes
Tertiary consumers (2° CARNIVORES) meat eaters
Fish, lions, tiger

Toad Snake Hawk

Grasshopper (Secondary consumers) (Tertiary consumers)
Grass Primary Secondary
(Primary consumers)
(Producers) Herbivores carnivores carnivores

10
3. Decomposers: Micro-organisms, which feed into dead
organisms and decompose them into simple compounds by
releasing inorganic nutrients.
Examples:
 bacteria, fungi ..
Inorganic nutrients + organic substances are utilized by
producers for the energy / food production

MEANINGS
HERBIVORES – Animals that eat only plants (vegetarian)
CARNIVORES - Animals that eat other animals
(non-vegetarian)
OMNIVORES – Animals that can eat both animals and plants

(vegetarian & non-vegetarian) 11

 FUNCTIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM:

Used to understand the NATURE OF ECOSYSTEM clearly,

flow of energy and cycling of nutrients.

TYPES of FUNCTIONS
Primary function or production
Manufacture of starch (photosynthesis)

 Secondary function or production

Distributing the energy in the form of food to all consumers
or
Energy stored by the consumer.

12
 FUNCTIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM CONTD…

 Tertiary function
All living organisms die at a particular stage.

These dead systems are decomposed to initiate the third

function -“Cycling”

All the above can be understood by following terms:

1. Energy flow & Material flow,
2. Food Chains,
3. Food web,
4. Food Pyramids (ecological pyramid)

13
14
 Photosynthetic equation
h
6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Chlorophyll Carbohydrate

The plants are used by herbivors and are used by carnivores as

their food. In this way only energy is transferred from one
organism to another and so on.

The conversion of solar energy is governed by law of

thermodynamics

FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS:

Energy can be changed from one form to another,
but it cannot be created or destroyed.
SOLAR ENERGY TO CHEMICAL ENERGY (PLANTS)

15
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Whenever energy is transformed, there is a loss of energy
through the release of heat.

This occurs when energy is transferred

between tropic levels. Around 80-90% of energy is lost in
the form of heat when it moves from one tropic level to
another (through respiration, running, hunting etc.,)

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 6 CO2 + 6 H2O

Carbohydrate
Net production of biomass is only about 0.5% of the total incident radiation
(3000 K.cal/m2/day)

16
 NUTRIENT FLOW
ELEMENTS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE SURVIVAL OF
BOTH PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE CALLED NUTRIENTS
 Macronutrient  Micronutrient
 Elements needed large amount  Elements needed small amount
 O, N, C, Ca, Mg, P  B, Co, Sr, Zn, Cu

CYCLIC FLOW OF NUTRIENTS BETWEEN THE BIOTIC AND

ABIOTIC COMPONENTS IS KNOWN AS NUTRIENT CYCLE OR
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

C, H, O & N ARE CYCLED AGAIN AND AGAIN

MOVEMENT OF WATER IN A CYCLIC MANNER IS KNOWN AS

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

17
18
20
NITROGEN TO AMINOACIDS, PROTEINS, VITAMINS
AMMONIFYING BACTERIA CONVERTS
ABOVE TO AMMONIA
NITRIFICATION
CONVERSION OF AMMONIA INTO NITRATES IS TERMED AS
NITRIFICATION.

THIS IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY NITRIFYING BACTERIA.

EXAMPLES: NITROBACTER, NITROSOMONAS.

DENITRIFICATION
CONVERSION OF NITRATES INTO NITROGEN.

THIS PROCESS IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY DENITRIFYING BACTERIA.

EXAMPLE: PSEUDOMONAS, FLUORESCENCE.
21
1

22
 OXYGEN CYCLE
It helps to move the oxygen through 3 main regions of
the earth
Atmosphere
• Region of gases – lies above the earth’s surface
• Largest reservoirs of free oxygen on earth
• Oxygen is released by the process called photosynthesis.
• In this process, plants convert CO2 and water into
carbohydrate and oxygen
h
6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Chlorophyll Carbohydrate

• This means that plants “breathe” out Oxygen and “breath”

in Carbon dioxide
Biosphere
• It is the sum of all the earth’s ecosystem.
• The main cycles are respiration and photosynthesis.
• Animals and humans breathe in oxygen and breath out
carbon dioxide.

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy

Carbohydrate

Lithosphere
• Largest reservoir of oxygen.
• Present as silicates and oxides.
• When the oxygen bearing minerals are exposed to the elements, a chemical
reaction occurs, produces free oxygen.

These are the main oxygen cycles and each play an important role in
helping project and maintain life on the earth

24
 Atmospheric Oxygen (O2)

Organic Molecule

Photosynthesis OXYGEN CYCLE Respiration

CO2

H2O

25
26
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE Bones, Teeths,

27
CARBON CYCLE

28
 ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION

The progressive replacement of one community by

another, till the development of stable community in a
particular area is
called ecological succession.

It is the gradual process by which ecosystems change

and develop over time. Nothing remains the same and
habitats are constantly changing.

Community: Group of plants or animals (biotic)

29
 STAGES OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
Pioneer community
First group of organism, which establish their community in
the area.
Seres or Seral stages
Various developmental stages of a community
TYPES
Primary succession – Gradual establishment in a lifeless ground
Watery area (pond, lake) - hydrosere (hydrarch) &
Dry area (desert, rock) – xerosere (Xerarch)
Secondary succession – Establishment, where some type of biotic
community is already present

30
 PROCESS OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
Nudation – development of bare area without any life form
Invasion – establishment of one or more species

Migration of seeds brought by wind, water or birds

Establishment –Seeds germinate and grow on the land - Pioneer

Competition –with same species & between different species for space, water &
nutrients
Reaction – living organisms, take water, nutrients and grow and modify the
environment. This unsuitable for existing species and favour some new
species by replacing the existing species – seral community
Stabilizations – leads to stable community, which is in equilibrium with the
environment.
 FOOD CHAINS
The sequence of eating and being eaten in an ecosystem
is known as food chain.
Transfer of food energy from plants through a series of organisms
is referred as food chain.
When the organism die, they are all decomposed by micro-
organism into micro nutrients, that again can be used by plants.
At each and every transfer, nearly 80-90% of energy gets lost as heat
A food chain always starts with plant life and ends with animal
32
32

Grass Grasshopper Toad Snake Hawk

Food Chain in grassland

  Phytoplankton is the first level
of our food chain, followed by
the zooplankton, which feeds on
the phytoplankton.

 The zooplankton are then eaten

by krill, fish and other
crustaceans, which all go on to
be eaten by big fish, penguins,
seals, walruses and whales.

 The food chain continues when

these are eaten by mammals
like polar bears.
FOREST FOOD CHAIN

34
 TYPES OF FOOD CHAIN
Grazing food chain
Found in Grassland ecosystem and pond ecosystem
Starts with GREEN PLANTS and goes to Decomposer food chain or
detritus food chain through herbivores and carnivores.
Detritus food chain
Found in Grassland ecosystem and forest ecosystem
Starts with DEAD ORGANIC MATTER (plants and animals) and goes
to Decomposer food chain through herbivores and carnivores.
FLOW OF ENERGY
Grazing food chain gets
energy from plant
while detritus food
chain gets energy
from dead plant biomass

35
 TROPIC LEVELS
The various steps through which food energy passes in
an ecosystem is called as tropic levels

T1 -Tropic level 1 – Green plants or producers

T2 - Tropic level 2 – Herbivores or primary consumers
T3 -Tropic level 3 – Carnivores or secondary consumers
T4 -Tropic level 4 – Tertiary consumers
T5 -Tropic level 5 – Finally decomposers

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
 FOOD WEB

The interlocking pattern of various food chains in

an ecosystem

Many food chains are interconnected, where different

types of organisms are connected at different tropic
levels, so that there is a number of opportunities of
eating and being eaten at each tropic level

37
Energy flow in food web (7 linear grazing food chains)
The energy flows from plant through different tropical levels
Tigers

Eagles Birds
Birds

Cattles Deer Fishes

Snakes

Insects
Insects
Rats

Grasse

38
 FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEB (DIFFERENCE)

In food chain, if one species is affected, the subsequent tropic

levels are also affected. In food web, the other tropic levels does
not affect so seriously, there are number of options available

FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEB (SIGNIFICANCE)

Food chain and web play very important role in ecosystem.

Energy flow and nutrient cycling takes place through them.
They maintain and regulate the population size of different tropic
levels, thus maintaining ecological balance.
They have have the property of biomagnification. Non-
biodegradable materials keep in passing from one to another
tropic level. At each successive tropic level, the concentration
keep in increasing. This is called biomagnification.
39
 BIOMAGNIFICATION OF DDT

Though the concentration of DDT sprayed for pest control is low,

its concentration is increased along the food chain through
phytoplantons to zooplanktons and then goes to fish, birds,
animals and human beings. Thus the concentration is increased
several thousand times. Since the pesticides are fat soluble, its
accumulation in the human body is easier and cannot be removed
easily.

40
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
Graphical representation of structure and function
of tropic levels of an ecosystem is called ecological
pyramid.

Types
Pyramid of numbers – represents the number of
individual organisms in each tropic levels
Pyramid of energy – represents the amount of energy
present in each tropic levels
Pyramid of biomass – represents the total amount of
biomass present in each tropic levels

41
 PYRAMID OF NUMBERS

It represents the
number of individual
organisms in each
tropic levels
Plants – 1st tropic level

Herbivores – 2nd tropic level

Carnivores – 3rd tropic level

2° carnivores – 4th tropic level

Top carnivores – 5th tropic level

Pyramid of numbers in a grassland

With the increase in tropic level the size decreases

42
 PYRAMID OF ENERGY
It represents the amount of energy present in each tropic
levels

5 k cals

50 k cals

500 k cals

5000 k cals

At every successive tropic level, there is a heavy loss of energy in

the form of heat (about 90%). Thus only 10% of energy is
transferred 43
 PYRAMID OF BIOMASS

It represents the total

amount of biomass
present in each tropic
levels

The amount of living or

organic matter present
in a particular
environment is called
BIOMASS
Pyramid of Biomass in a Terrestrial Ecosystem

44