TOPIC NAME: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF

ECOSYSTEM
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF
ECOSYSTEM
 A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON STRUCTURE AND FUBNCTION OF ECOSYSTEM FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TO PRESENT IN PIONEER COLLEGE IN FRONT OF 2ND SEM CLASS.

 PREPARED BY: FORWADED BY: GUIDED BY :

 VISHWA SHAH B.D MESHRAM MRS.RASHMI
 212350290012 (MPHARM,PHD) JAGTAP
(PRINCIPAL) (M-PHARM)
 (ASSISTANT
 PROFESSOR )
 DEFINATION
• An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other
organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form
a bubble of life.

• An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they
interact . These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy
enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one
another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also
influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers
release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass
back to a form that can be readily used by plants and microbes.

• Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors. External factors such as climate, parent material which
forms the soil and topography, control the overall structure of an ecosystem but are not themselves influenced by
the ecosystem. Internal factors are controlled, for example, by decomposition, root competition, shading,
disturbance, succession, and the types of species present. While the resource inputs are generally controlled by
external processes, the availability of these resources within the ecosystem is controlled by internal factors.
Therefore, internal factors not only control ecosystem processes but are also controlled by them.
• Ecosystems are dynamic entities—they are subject to periodic disturbances
and are always in the process of recovering from some past disturbance.
The tendency of an ecosystem to remain close to its equilibrium state,
despite that disturbance, is termed its resistance.
• The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while
undergoing change so as to retain essentially the same function, structure,
identity, and feedbacks is termed its ecological resilience. Ecosystems can
be studied through a variety of approaches—theoretical studies, studies
monitoring specific ecosystems over long periods of time, those that look at
differences between ecosystems to elucidate how they work and direct
manipulative experimentation. Biomes are general classes or categories of
ecosystems.
• However, there is no clear distinction between biomes and ecosystems.
Ecosystem classifications are specific kinds of ecological classifications that
consider all four elements of the definition of ecosystems: a biotic
component, an abiotic complex, the interactions between and within them,
and the physical space they occupy.
What is the structure of the ecosystem?

The structure of the ecosystem includes the organisms and physical features of the
environment, including the amount and distribution of nutrients in a particular habitat.
It also provides information regarding the climatic conditions of that area.

What are the different types of ecosystems?

The different types of the ecosystem include:

• Terrestrial ecosystem
• Forest ecosystem
• Grassland ecosystem
• Desert ecosystem
• Aquatic ecosystem
• Freshwater ecosystem
• Marine ecosystem
Terrestrial Ecosystem

• A terrestrial ecosystem is a land-based community of organisms and the

interactions of biotic and abiotic components in a given area. Examples of
terrestrial ecosystems include the tundra, taigas, temperate deciduous
forests, tropical rainforests, grasslands, and deserts. The type of terrestrial
ecosystem found in a particular place is dependent on the temperature
range, the average amount of precipitation received, the soil type, and
amount of light it receives.

• Use these resources to spark student curiosity in terrestrial ecosystems and

discover how different abiotic and biotic factors determine the plants and
animals found in a particular place.
• DESERT ECOSYSTEM:

• An ecosystem is a community of all the living organism and non-living

organisms interacting with each other in a specific area. Living organisms
include all the organisms, plants and animals whereas non-living organisms
include the physical environment that comprises air, water, sun,
atmosphere, earth, climate etc.

• In simple terms, an ecosystem is a setting where all the living and non-
living components interact in a physical environment.

• Coming to deserts…

• When we hear the word ‘desert’ the very first thing that strikes our minds
is a big barren, abandoned and dry land without plants covered with sand.
A desert can be hot and cold both.

• Desert is one of the most dried land areas on this planet that receives very
little precipitation annually. It is a land with very less rainfall throughout
the year measured less than 50 cm a year.
GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM:
• Grassland Ecosystem is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses
and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants. It is also called transitional
landscape because grassland ecosystems are dominated by the grass with few
or no trees in the area where there is not enough for a forest and too much of
a forest.

Components of Grassland Ecosystem

The components of the Grassland Ecosystem are discussed below:

1. Abiotic Components: These are non-living thing components consist of carbon,

hydrogen, sulphur, nitrogen and phosphorous etc.

2. Biotic Components: These are living components and their sub-components

are discussed below-

(I) Producers: The primary producers of food are the grasses such as Aristida,
Cynodon, Digitaria, Desmodium, Setaria etc. If herbs and shrubs are present,
they also contribute to the primary production of food.
(II) Consumers: The consumers in a grassland ecosystem are of three levels.

(a) Primary consumers: These feed directly from the grasses (grazing) and include
herbivores such as Cows, Buffaloes, Goats, Rabbits, Mouse etc. and also insects,
termites, centipede, millipedes etc.

(b) Secondary consumers: These consumers are the carnivorous animals such as
snakes, lizard, jackal, foxes, frogs etc. which feed on the primary consumers.

(c) Tertiary consumers: Hawk, Eagles and vultures constitute the tertiary
consumer in the grassland ecosystem which preys upon the secondary and
primary consumer.

(III) Decomposers: The organic matter of the grassland is decomposed by the

microbes like actinomycetes, fungi (Mucor, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Penicillium,
and Cladosporium), aerobic and anaerobic soil bacteria etc. They release the
minerals back into the soil thus making the soil fertile.
• Forest Ecosystem
• An ecosystem refers to a functional unit of nature in which living
organisms interact among themselves as well as with the surrounding
physical environment. Ecologists look at the entire biosphere as a global
ecosystem. Besides, the forest ecosystem is a part of the terrestrial
ecosystem.

• It, however, may vary largely in size i.e. from a small pond to a sea or a
large forest. Usually, these are self-sustaining. We can divide the
ecosystems into two broad categories, namely, terrestrial ecosystem and
aquatic ecosystem.

• The terrestrial ecosystem includes desert, grassland and forest

ecosystem, whereas pond, lake, wetland and river ecosystem are parts of
the aquatic ecosystem.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM:

• An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in and surrounding a body of water, in

contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain
communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their
environment.
• The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater
ecosystems.[1] Freshwater ecosystems may be lentic (slow moving water, including
pools, ponds, and lakes); lotic (faster moving water, for example streams and
rivers); and wetlands (areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least
part of the time).

• This further divides into :

• Marine Ecosystem

• Freshwater Ecosystem.
PRIMARY PRODUCERS

• Autotrophs or primary producers are organisms that acquire their energy from
sunlight and materials from nonliving sources. Algae, higher plants, and some
bacteria and protists are important autotrophs in running waters.
• Heterotrophs obtain energy and materials by consuming living or dead organic
matter. All animals of course are heterotrophic, but so also are fungi and many
protists and bacteria that gain nourishment through the processing of dead
organic matter and often make that organic matter more nutrient rich and more
accessible to other consumers.
• Together, these autotrophs and microbial heterotrophs constitute the basal
energy resources that support higher trophic levels in lotic food webs. The
major autotrophs of running waters include large plants, referred to as
macrophytes, and various small producers including individual cells, colonies,
and filamentous growth forms. Algae suspended in the water column are
referred to as phytoplankton; those attached to substrates are referred to as
benthic algae or periphyton.
• PRIMARY CONSUMERS:

• Primary producers are a basic part of an ecosystem. They can be thought of as

the first and most important step in the food chain. Along with decomposers,
they make up the base of a food web and together their populations number
more than any other part of the web.
• Primary producers are consumed by primary consumers (generally herbivores),
which are then consumed by secondary consumers and so on. Organisms at the
top of the chain eventually die and are then consumed by decomposers, which
fix the nitrogen levels and provide the organic material necessary for the next
generation of primary producers.

• Primary producers are vital to the survival of an ecosystem. They live in both
aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and produce carbohydrates necessary for
those higher up in the food chain to survive. Since they are small in size and can
be susceptible to changing environmental conditions, ecosystems with more
diverse populations of primary producers tend to thrive more than those with
homogeneous populations. Primary producers reproduce rapidly. This is
necessary to sustain life as the species' populations get smaller as you go further
up the food chain. For example, up to 100,000 pounds of phytoplankton may be
necessary to feed the equivalent of only one pound of a predator species at the
top end of the chain.
SECONDARY CONSUMERS:

• Definition;
noun, plural: secondary consumers
• Any organism that consumes or feeds largely on primary consumers, as well as autotrophs
Supplement
• A food chain is a feeding hierarchy showing the various trophic levels. A trophic level is a
position in a food chain or an ecological pyramid. The organisms grouped into a trophic level
share a common mode by which they obtain nourishment. There are three fundamental ways
organisms obtain nourishment. Producers or autotrophs are organisms that obtain food from
inorganic sources and are capable of synthesizing their food (through photosynthesis). In the
ecological pyramid or a food chain, producers are at the base. They are followed by
consumers that obtain nourishment by feeding on organic matter, such as plants and animals.
The last group in the food chain or ecological pyramid and is located on top level is the
decomposers or the detritivores.
• Consumers are organisms that derive their nutrients largely from an organic matter (e.g.
animals). They are not capable of photosynthesis and therefore rely on hunting, parasitism,
predation, etc. to obtain food. In a food chain, consumers may be further grouped into
primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. Secondary consumers are
largely comprised of carnivores that feed on the primary consumers or herbivores. Other
members of this group are omnivores that not only feed on primary consumers but also on
producers or autotrophs. An example is a fox eating rabbit.
Tertiary Consumer
Definition:
• A tertiary consumer is an animal that obtains its nutrition by eating primary
consumers and secondary consumers. Usually tertiary consumers are carnivorous
predators, although they may also be omnivores, which are animals that feed on
both meat and plant material.

Function of Tertiary Consumers

• Within any ecosystem, the energy that is present within its organisms is passed
through a food chain or food web. Each organism in a food chain occupies a
particular position called a trophic level, whereby animals consume other animals
in lower trophic levels and are eaten by those in higher trophic levels.

• Tertiary consumers often occupy the top trophic level, and so are predated by no
other animals; in this case they are called “apex predators”. However, when they
die their bodies will be consumed by scavengers and decomposers.

• Sometimes in a food chain there is an apex predator above the tertiary consumer.
However, energy is used up and is lost as heat as it is transferred through each of
the trophic levels, which results in a low availability of energy in the higher levels
(this can be viewed as an energy pyramid). It is therefore common to only have
four trophic levels, and for the tertiary consumer to hold the ecological function of
the apex predator.
 REFERENCES
1. Y.K. Sing, Environmental Science, New Age International Pvt, Publishers, Bangalore
2. Agarwal, K.C. 2001 Environmental Biology, Nidi Publ. Ltd. Bikaner. 3. Bharucha
Erach, The Biodiversity of India, Mapin Pu blishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad – 380 013,
India, 4. Brunner R.C., 1989, Hazardous Waste Incineration, McGraw Hill Inc. 480p 5.
Clark R.S., Ma1. Y.K. Sing, Environmental Science, New Age International Pvt,
Publishers, Bangalore
Agarwal, K.C. 2001 Environmental Biology, Nidi Publ. Ltd. Bikaner.
3. Bharucha Erach, The Biodiversity of India, Mapin Pu blishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad –
380 013, India,
4. Brunner R.C., 1989, Hazardous Waste Incineration, McGraw Hill Inc. 480p
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