Ecosystem: Introduction, Functions, Organisation

An ecosystem is an area where different types of living things coexist peacefully to form a "biome of life." Both biotic (or alive) and abiotic (or nonliving) elements make up ecosystems. Biotic variables include all living things, including plants, animals, and other organisms. Things like rocks, temperature, and humidity are examples of abiotic variables.

Ecological Succession

Ecosystem

• Ecosystems come in a variety of sizes. Tide pools are complete, miniature ecosystems created as the tide recedes and leaves behind ponds. An algae variety called seaweed develops in tidewater and generates nourishment via the photosynthesis process.
• Herbivorous creatures like abalone consume seaweed. Sea stars and other carnivorous organisms like them consume clams and mussels found in the tidal pool.
• The fluctuating ocean water level affects tide pools. An algae species called seaweed thrives in tidal pools and uses photosynthesis to provide food.
• Hermit crabs and other species that cannot survive underwater rely on the shallow pools that low tides leave behind. In this approach, abiotic influences influence the biotic components of the ecosystem.

Ecology

Classification of Ecosystem

1. Terrestrial Ecosystem:

• An ecosystem on land is called a terrestrial ecosystem. Consider the ecosystems of a forest, grassland, desert, and tundra.
• A Forest ecosystem comprises trees, plants, animals, microbes, soil, water, wind, etc. It encompasses coniferous, tropical, and deciduous woods.
• A sizable region covered with grasses and non-woody plants is known as a grassland ecosystem. It excludes larger plants and trees. Because they are low on the earth, grasses require less water to develop. Their thick roots enable them to endure harsh environments. Temperate grasslands, Savannah, shrublands, etc., are all included.
• The tundra ecosystem is the coldest and harshest on the planet. These environments lack trees and are encircled by ice and snow.
• Less rain(less than 10 inches), falls annually on desert ecosystems. Low or inadequate moisture levels characterise these areas.

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2. Aquatic Ecosystem:

• 1. Freshwater Ecosystem - Water that has less salt and is constantly cycling is called freshwater. There are two primary varieties: lentic (still water, like a pond) and lotic (moving water, like a river).
• 2. Marine ecosystem - The water in this habitat is highly salinated. Think about vast oceans and shallow waters.

Digestion In Ruminants

The Organisation of the Ecosystem

1. Biotic Elements

• All living things, including plants, animals, and microbes, are included. The following groupings can be used to categorise or separate biotic components:
• All plants producing food using resources like sunshine, water, and carbon dioxide are called autotrophs or producers. Photosynthesis is the name of this process. Any living thing that produces chlorophyll is capable of photosynthesis.
• All heterotrophs, especially animals, who depend on producers, are considered consumers. It is further divided into the following groups:
• All herbivores, such as cows, goats, rabbits, lambs, and other animals directly reliant on plants, are considered primary consumers.
• All carnivorous species that rely on main consumers for food are considered secondary consumers.
• All omnivorous animals are considered tertiary consumers. These creatures have adaptable eating habits, allowing them to consume plants and animals.
• Decomposers are microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungus, that eat decaying and dead substances to get food. They are additionally known as probiotic microbes. They may be saprozoic or saprophytic, feeding on dead plants or animals. It aids in environmental cleanup and ecosystem nutrient recycling.

Dog Life Cycle

2. Abiotic Elements

Wind

Difference Between Plant Cell And Animal Cell

Water

Atmosphere

Land Pollution

Temperature

Chemical Substances

Effects of Air Pollution On Environment

Functions of an Ecosystem

• It uses sunlight and inorganic nutrients as inputs and produces energy and waste as a product.
• It guarantees the transfer of nutrients among the ecosystem's constituent parts.
• The movement of energy from one trophic level to another is aided by it.
• It keeps up all of the ecosystem's crucial ecological processes.
• It offers numerous animals a place of residence.

Food Chain:

Importance of Food Chain

• Food chains is straight and unidirectional. 3–4 phases are usually included in one chain.
• There is just one direction in which energy flows or a unidirectional energy flow.
• An energy loss of 10% occurs at each step or trophic level. Due to this loss, a food chain can only have a maximum of 3–4 or 5 trophic levels. Less energy is available to organisms at the highest trophic level.
• When an organism dies, decomposers work on it, converting its complex proteins into simpler ones that plants may utilise for their growth and development.

Food Web

Importance of Food Web

• The organisms forms multiple interactions for food.
• It offers an alternate method of obtaining nourishment.
• As a lack of food in one food chain may be made up by the presence of another, it increases the stability of the ecosystem.

Double Fertilization In Angiosperms

Ecological Pyramid

• The Pyramid of Energy is always upright and represents how energy transfers from one trophic level to another.
• The pyramid of numbers, which can be upright or inverted, shows how many individuals are in each trophic level.
• Each trophic level's dry weight is represented by a pyramid of biomass, which can be upright or inverted.

Effects of Air Pollution on Plants

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