ECOSYSTEM

ECOSYSTEMS
 The interaction between the living organism and the non-living
environment is called ecosystem.
 ECOSYSTEM –STUCTURE AND FUNCTION:
 Interaction of biotic and abiotic components results in a physical
structure that is characteristic of each type of ecosystem.
 Identification and description of plant and animal species of an
ecosystem gives its species composition.
 Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is
called stratification.
 The components of the ecosystem are seen to function as a unit:
 Productivity.
 Decomposition.
 Energy flow and
 Nutrient cycle
 Description of pond as an ecosystem:
 The abiotic components include all dissolved inorganic and organic substances and
the rich soil deposit at the bottom of the pond.
 The solar input, cycle of temperature, day length, regulates the rater of function of
the entire pond.
 Producers are represented by phytoplankton, some algae and the floating, submerged
and marginal plants (Higher plants).
 The consumers are represented by zooplankton, free swimming and bottom
dwelling animals.
 The decomposers are the fungi, bacteria especially abundant at the bottom of the
pond.

 Basic events (in terms of function) in an ecosystem:

 Conversion of inorganic into organic material (photosynthesis) by producers.
 Consumption of the autotrophs by heterotrophs.
 Decomposition and mineralization of the dead organic matter to release them back
for reuse by the autotrophs
 There is unidirectional flow of energy towards the higher trophic levels and its
dissipation and loss as heat to the environment.
 PRODUCTIVITY:
 Primary productivity:
 The amount of biomass or organic matter produced per unit area over a time period by plants
during photosynthesis.
 It is expressed in terms of weight (g-2) or energy (kcal m-2)
 The rate of biomass production is called productivity.

 Gross primary productivity: (GPP) is the rate of production of organic matter during
photosynthesis.
 Net primary productivity:
 A considerable amount of energy is utilized by plants in respiration.
 Gross primary productivity minus respiration losses (R) is the net primary productivity.
 GPP – R = NPP.

 Net primary productivity is the available biomass for the consumption to heterotrophs
(herbivore and decomposers.
 Secondary productivity: is defined as the rate of formation of new organic matter by the
consumer.
 DECOMPOSITION:
 Earthworm is said to be ‘friends’ of farmer:
 Breakdown the complex organic matter.
 Loosening of the soil helps in aeration and entry of root.

 The decomposers break down complex organic matter into inorganic substances like
carbon dioxide, water and nutrients, called decomposition.
 Dead plant remains such as leaves, bark, flowers and dead remains of animals,
including fecal matter, constitute the detritus.
 The process of decomposition completed in following steps:
 Fragmentation : Break down of detritus into smaller particles by detritivore
(earthworm).
 Leaching: Water soluble inorganic nutrients go down into the soil horizon and get
precipitated as unavailable salts.
 Catabolism : Bacterial and fungal enzymes degrade detritus into simple inorga nic
substances.
 Humification: Accumulation of dark coloured amorphous substances called humus.
 Importance of humus:
 Highly resistance to microbial action.
 Undergo decomposition at an extremely slow rate.
 Being colloidal in nature, it serves as reservoir for nutrients.
 Mineralization:
The humus is further degraded by some microbes and release
of inorganic nutrients occur.
 Factor affects rate of decomposition:
 Decomposition is largely an oxygen-requiring process.
 Detritus rich in chitin and lignin has slow rate of decomposition.
 Detritus rich in nitrogen and water-soluble substance like sugar has
faster decomposition.
 Temperature and soil moisture are most important climatic factor
that regulate decomposition
 Warm and moist environment favor decomposition.
 Low temperature, dryness and anerobiosis inhibit
decomposition.
 ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM:
 Except for deep sea hydrothermal ecosystem, sun is the only source of
energy for all ecosystems on earth.
 Less than 50% of incident solar radiation isphotosynthetically
active radiations. (PAR).
 Plants capture 2-10 % of PAR and used in photosynthesis.
 All organisms depend on the producers, either directly or indirectly.
 Energy flow in the ecosystem is unidirectional i.e. energy
transferred from producer to consumers.
 Energy transfer is not absolute, and spontaneous, unless energy is
degraded it can not be [Link] energy transferred from one
trophic level to another, lot of energy lost in the form of heat to the
environment.
 Only 10% of energy transferred from one trophic level to other.
 Food chain:
 Grazing food chain: it extends from producers through herbivore to carnivore.
 Detritus food chain: Begins with dead organic matter (detritus) and pass through
detritus feeding organism in soil to organisms feeding on detritus-feeders.
 In aquatic ecosystem GFC is the major conduit for energy flow.
 In terrestrial ecosystems a much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus
food chain than through GFC
 Different food chains are naturally interconnected e.g. a specific herbivore of one food
chain may serve as food of carnivores of other food chains. Such interconnected
matrix of food chains is called food web.
 Trophic level: A group of organism irrespective of their size having same source of
energy or similar food habit constitute a trophic level.
 Standing crop: each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular
time called as the standing crop.
 The standing crop is measured as the mass of living organisms (biomass) or
the number in a unit area.
 The number of trophic levels in a food chain is restricted by 10 % flow of energy, less
amount of energy available to the last trophic level.
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID:

 The base of the pyramid is broad and it narrows down at the [Link] similar shape is
obtained when food or energy relationship between organisms at different trophic level.
 The relationship can be expressed in terms of number, energy or biomass.
 The base of the pyramid represented by producer and apex is the top consumer; other
trophic levels are in between.
 In most ecosystems, all the pyramids, of number, of energy and biomass are upright.
 The pyramid of number in a tree ecosystem is inverted.
 The pyramid of biomass in sea also inverted because the biomass of fishes is far
exceeds that of phytoplankton.
 Pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy
flows from a particular trophic level to the next, some energy is always lost as heat at
each step.
 Limitations of ecological pyramids:
 It does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more trophic levels.
 It assumes a simple food chain, it never exits in nature.
 It dose not accommodate food web.
 Saprophytes are not given place in ecological pyramids.