Ecosystem
-Ruchith Bhoopalam
BBA 2nd SEM
Meaning:
• CONCEPT Everything in the natural world is
connected.
Plants and animals depend on each other to survive. This
connection of living things to each other is called
[Link] plants and animals within an area
interact with each other and with the non-living elements
of the area, such as climate, water, soil and so on.
• Ecology Term Coined by Earnst
Haeckel in 1869.
Derived from greek
words: OIKOS(Home)+LOGOS(Study)S
o, Ecology is the study of organisms in
their natural home interacting with
Ecology their surroundings.
• Ecology is the scientific study of the
relationships that
living organisms have with each other
and with their natural
[Link] is the study of
ecosystems.
• Habitat functions: ecosystems provide habitat to
wild plants and animals and thus conserve
biological and genetic diversity.
Functions
• Regulatory functions: ecosystem regulates
essential ecological processes and life support
of systems and renders stability.
ecosystem
• Informational function: ecosystems provide an
essential 'reference function' and contribute to the
maintenance of human health by providing
opportunities for spiritual enrichment, cognitive
development, recreation and aesthetic experience.
Living/ Biotic Components
ProducersConsumers
Herbivores
Structure
Carnivores
of
Omnivores
Detritivores
Ecosystem Decomposers
Non-Living/ Abiotic Components
Physical components
Chemical Components
Different living organisms constitute the biotic
components of an ecosystem.
This refers to large life-forms such as trees or
Biotic mammals, small life-forms such as insects
Components and algae, and microscopic life-forms such as
of bacteria.
Ecosystem Biotic, meaning of or related to life, are living
factors. Plants, animals, fungi and bacteria are
all biotic or living factors.
• Producers are organisms which are able to
manufacture organic compounds from inorganic
Producers substances from their environment.
Most • Food is produced both for themselves and for
important other organisms.
components • They depend directly on the abiotic component
for their survival and production of nutrients.
of • Producers are also known as autotrophs (derived
ecosystem. from Greek words: “autos” meaning self and
“trophe” meaning nourishment)
• Consumers are organisms that obtain nutrients
by consuming other organisms.
• These organisms are formally referred to
as heterotrophs (derived from Greek words
“heteros” meaning another/ different and
Consumers “trophe” meaning nourishment.
• A heterotroph is an organism that cannot
synthesize their own food and must obtain it
ready made.
• They can be herbivores, carnivores, omnivores
or detritivores.
• Animals who derive their required
energy directly from consuming the
plants and plants only.
• Also known as primary consumers.
Herbivores • Herbivores have special digestive
systems that let them digest all kinds of
plants, including grasses.
• Eg. Rabbit, cattle, horse, sheep,
insects, etc.
Carnivores
Carnivores generally eat herbivores
(secondary consumers), but occasionally
Animals that eat other carnivores also (tertiary
feed on other consumers).
animals. Eg: lion, tiger, cats, birds of prey, sharks,
frogs, etc.
Predators & A predator is an organism that hunts and
kills other organisms for food. Eg: lions,
Scavengers
tigers, sharks, wolves, snakes, etc.
Scavengers eat the food that has been
killed and left behind by predators. Eg:
vultures, racoons, hyena,etc.
Scavengers play an important role in
the ecosystem by consuming the carcass
of of animals that have been left to
decompose. Decomposers and
detritivores complete this process, by
consuming the remains left by scavengers.
• Omnivores often are
opportunistic, general feeders with neither
carnivore nor herbivore specializations for
acquiring or processing food, and are
Omnivores capable of consuming and do consume both
animal protein and vegetation.
• .Eg, humans, bear, etc.
• They feed on dead plant and animal matter,
but perform an additional function which is
to return essential nutrients back to the
ecosystem in the process. Detritivores
Detritivores
actually eat organic matter. They are
essential for recycling of nutrients: without
them dead plant material would not be
returned to the soil for new growth
• Eg: worms, millipedes, sea stars, crabs, dung
flies.
These are micro-organisms which break-
down organic matter into inorganic
compounds and derive their nutrition in
Decomposers/
the process. Decomposers break down
Saprobes
complex compound into simpler
compounds without eating them.
The nonliving materials in an ecosystem, such
as minerals, gases, liquids and chemicals are
Abiotic referred to as abiotic or non-biotic factors.
Components Physical Components
of Sunlight, water, air, temperature, rainfall, soil texture,
wind speed and direction,, etc.
Ecosystem
Chemical Components
Carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, iron, copper, zinc,
etc.
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