Ecosystem

 An ecosystem is a more-or-less self contained

ecological entity, consisting of both organisms and
their complete biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living)
environment found in a particular place at a
particular time.
In this lesson, we will learn
answers to the following
questions:
 What is an ecosystem, and how can we study
one?
 What is the components and function of
ecosystem?
 How does energy flow through the ecosystem?
 Two Main Forms of Energy and law of
thermodynamics.
 How do we define "biogeochemical cycles,"
and how are they important to ecosystems?
 History of Ecosystem
 The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935
publication by the British ecologist Arthur Tansley (
1935). However, the term had been coined already
in 1930 by Tansley's colleague Roy Clapham, who
was asked if he could think of a suitable word to
denote the physical and biological components of an
environment as a single unit. Tansley expanded on
the term in his later work, adding the ecotope
concept to define the spatial context of ecosystems
(Tansley, 1939).
According to woodbury (1954) Ecosystem is a complex in
which habitat, plants and animals are considered as one
interesting unit, the materials and energy of one passing
in and out of the others.
According to E.P. Odum, the ecosystem is the basic
functional unit of organisms and their environment
interaction with each other and with their own
components.
e.g. One square meter of grassland, a large lake, a large
tract of forest, balanced aquarium, a certain area of river
and ocean. All the ecosystems of the earth are connected
to one another, like, river ecosystem is connected with
the ecosystem of ocean, and a small ecosystem of dead
logs is a part of large ecosystem of a forest. A complete
self-sufficient ecosystem is rarely found in nature but
situations approaching self-sufficiency may occur.
 Structure of Ecosystem
The structure of an ecosystem is basically a
description of the organisms and physical
features of environment including the
amount and distribution of nutrients in a
particular habitat. From the structure point of
view, all ecosystems consist of the following
basic components:
1. Abiotic components

2. Biotic components
 Abiotic Components: An ecosystem possesses both
biotic (living) and abiotic non-living components.
The abiotic components include soil, water, light,
inorganic nutrients and weather
 Biotic Components: The biotic components of the
ecosystem can be categorized as either producers or
consumers. Producers are autotrophic organisms with
the capability of carrying out photosynthesis and
making food themselves, and indirectly for the other
organisms as well. In terrestrial ecosystems the
producers are predominantly green plants, while in
freshwater and marine ecosystems the dominant
producers are various species of algae.
 Biotic components
The biotic components include all living
organisms present in the environmental
system. From nutrition point of view, the
biotic components can be grouped into three
basic components:
2. Producer
3. Consumers and
4. Decomposers or reducers and transformers
 1. Producers
The producers are the autotrophic elements –chiefly green
plants. They use radiant energy of sun in photosynthetic
process whereby carbon dioxide is assimilated and the
light energy is converted into chemical energy. The
chemical energy is actually locked up in the energy rich
carbon compounds. Oxygen is evolved as byproduct in
the photosynthesis.

This is used in respiration by all living things. Algae and

other hydrophytes of a pond, grasses of the field, trees of
the forests are examples of producer. Chemosynthetic
bacteria and carotenoid bearing purple bacteria that also
assimilate carbon-dioxide with the energy of sunlight but
only in the presence of organic compounds also belong to
this category.
The green plant Producers of the Fresh Water Pond
are shown in green.
 2. Consumer
Those living members of ecosystem which consume the
food synthesized by producers are called consumers.
Under this category are included all kinds of animals
that are found in an ecosystem. There are different
classes or categories of consumers that are discussed
in following.
 Primary consumers: Those are dependent on

producers or green plants for their food called

primary producer (purely herbivorous). e.g. Insects
rodents rabbit, cow, goat for terrestrial ecosystem. On
the other hands crustaceans, molluscs etc. for aquatic
habitat. They are the “Key industry animals” (Elton-
1939)
 Secondary consumers: Those animals are adapted to
consume herbivores as well as plants as their food
called secondary consumers. They are carnivores and
omnivores. e.g. sparrow, crow, fox etc.

 Tertiary consumers: These are the top carnivores

which prey upon other carnivores, omnivores and
herbivores. Lions, tigers hawk, vulture etc. are
considered as tertiary or top consumers.

 Parasites, scavengers and saprobes: They are

consumers. The parasitic plants and animals utilize
the living tissues of different plants and animals. The
scavengers and saprobes utilize dead remains of
animals and plants as their food.
 3. Decomposers and transformers
 Decomposers attack the dead remains of
producers and consumers and degrade the
complex organic substances into simpler
compounds. The simple organic matters are
then attacked by another kind of bacteria, the
transformers which change these organic
compounds in to the inorganic forms that are
suitable for reuse by producers of green plants.
 The decomposers and transformers play very
important role in maintaining the dynamic
nature of ecosystems.
 Function of Ecosystem
Action of biotic and abiotic components with the help
of solar energy through the ecosystem is called
function of ecosystem. In any ecosystem we have the
following functional components;

1. Inorganic constituents (air, water and mineral salts)

2. Organisms (plants, animals and microbes) and
3. Energy input which enters from outside ( the sun)
 The principal steps in the operation of
ecosystem
Thus the principal steps in the operation of ecosystem
are as follows:
1. Reception of radiant energy of sun.
2. Manufacture of organic materials from inorganic ones
by producers,
3. Consumption of producers by consumers and further
elaboration of consumed materials and
4. After the death of producers and consumers, complex
organic compounds are degraded and finally
converted by decomposers and converters into such
forms as are suitable for reutilization by producers.
 Energy flow in ecosystem
Energy:
Energy has been defined as the capacity to do
work. Energy exists in two forms:
1. Potential energy is energy stored in matter.
i.e. stored energy
2. kinetic energy is motion energy i.e. free
energy.
The radiant energy is in the form of
electromagnetic waves which are released
from the sun during the transmutation of
hydrogen to helium are converted in to
chemical energy that energy required by all
living organisms. This chemical energy stored
in the food of living organisms is converted in
to potential energy by the arrangement of the
constituent atoms of food in a particular
manner.
Solar energy
producer
primary consumers primary
carnivores

dead remains
secondary
carnivores

Raw materials decomposers

Flow of energy at different levels of ecosystem.

 Law of Thermodynamics
 The first law of Thermodynamics: It states that the
amount of energy in the universe is constant. It may
change from one form to another, but it can neither be
created nor destroyed. Light energy can be neither
created nor destroyed as it passes through the
atmosphere.
The second law of Thermodynamics: It states that
non-random energy (mechanical, chemical, radiant
energy) cannot be changed without some degradation
into heat energy.
The change of energy from one from to another takes
place in such a way that a part of energy assumes
waste form. In this way, after transformation the
capacity of energy to perform work is decreased.
Thus energy flows from higher to lower level.