UNIT 2 ECOSYSTEM

Ecosystem, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all
their interrelationships in a particular unit of space. An ecosystem can be visualized
as a functional unit of nature, where living organisms interact among themselves
and also with the surrounding physical environment. Ecosystem varies greatly in
size from a small pond to a large forest or a sea. Many ecologists regard the entire
biosphere as a global ecosystem, as a composite of all local ecosystems on Earth.
Classification of Ecosystem

Aquatic Ecosystem
An ecosystem which is located in a body of water is known as an aquatic ecosystem.
The nature and characteristics of the communities of living or biotic organisms and
non-living or abiotic factors which interact with and interrelate to one another are
determined by the aquatic surroundings of their environment they are dependent
upon.
Aquatic ecosystem can be broadly classified into Marine Ecosystem and Freshwater
Ecosystem.
Marine Ecosystem
These ecosystems are the biggest of all ecosystems as all oceans and their parts are
included in them. They contain salt marshes, intertidal zones, estuaries, lagoons,
mangroves, coral reefs, the deep sea, and the sea floor.
Marine ecosystem has a unique flora and fauna, and supports a vast kingdom of
species. These ecosystems are essential for the overall health of both marine and
terrestrial environments.
Salt marshes, sea grass meadows, and mangrove forests are among the most
productive ecosystem. Coral reef provides food and shelter to the highest number of
marine inhabitants in the world. Marine ecosystem has a large biodiversity.

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Freshwater Ecosystem
Freshwater ecosystem includes lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. Lakes are large
bodies of freshwater surrounded by land.
Plants and algae are important to freshwater ecosystem because they provide
oxygen through photosynthesis and food for animals in this ecosystem. Estuaries
house plant life with the unique adaptation of being able to survive in fresh and
salty environments. Mangroves and pickle weed are examples of estuarine plants.
Many animals live in freshwater ecosystem. Freshwater ecosystem is very important
for people as they provide them water for drinking, energy and transportation,
recreation, etc.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Terrestrial ecosystems are those ecosystems that exist on land. Water may be present
in a terrestrial ecosystem but these ecosystems are primarily situated on land. These
ecosystems are of different types such as forest ecosystem, desert ecosystem,
grassland and mountain ecosystems.
Terrestrial ecosystems are distinguished from aquatic ecosystems by the lower
availability of water and the consequent importance of water as a limiting factor.
These are characterized by greater temperature fluctuations on both diurnal and
seasonal basis, than in aquatic ecosystems in similar climates.
Availability of light is greater in terrestrial ecosystems than in aquatic ecosystems
because the atmosphere is more transparent on land than in water. Differences in
temperature and light in terrestrial ecosystems reflect a completely different flora
and fauna.
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. It also provides information regarding the range of climatic
conditions prevailing in the area. From the structure point of view, all ecosystems
consist of the following basic components:
1. Biotic components
2. Abiotic components
1. Biotic Components:
The biotic components include all living organisms present in the environmental
system. The Biotic components of an ecosystem can be described under the
following three heads:

1. Producers (Autotrophic components),

2. Consumers, and
3. Decomposers or reducers and transformers

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Producers (Autotrophic elements):
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 by-product in
the photosynthesis.
This is used in respiration by all living things. Algae and other hydrophytes of a
pond, grasses of the field, and trees of the forests are examples of producers.
Chemosynthetic bacteria and carotenoid bearing purple bacteria that also assimilate
CO2 with the energy of sunlight but only in the presence of organic compounds also
belong to this category.
Consumers:
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, such as:
(a) Consumers of the first order or primary consumers,
(b) Consumers of the second order or secondary consumers,
(c) Consumers of the third order or tertiary consumers, and
(d) Parasites, scavengers and saprobes.
(a) Primary consumers:
These are purely herbivorous animals that are dependent for their food on producers
or green plants. Insects, rodents, rabbit, deer, cow, buffalo, goat are some of the
common herbivores in the terrestrial ecosystem, and small crustaceans, molluscs, etc.
in the aquatic habitat.
(b) Secondary consumers:
These are carnivores and omnivores. Carnivores are flesh eating animals and the
omnivores are the animals that are adapted to consume herbivores as well as plants
as their food. Examples of secondary consumers are sparrow, crow, fox, wolves,
dogs, cats, snakes, etc.
(c) 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.
(d) Besides different classes of consumers, the parasites, scavengers and saprobes
are also included in the 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.
Decomposers and transformers:
Decomposers and transformers are the living components of the ecosystem and they
are fungi and bacteria. Decomposers attack the dead remains of producers and
consumers and degrade the complex organic substances into simpler compounds.

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The simple organic matters are then attacked by another kind of bacteria, the
transformers which change these organic compounds into the inorganic forms that
are suitable for reuse by producers or green plants. The decomposers and
transformers play very important role in maintaining the dynamic nature of
ecosystems.
2. Abiotic Components:
Ecological relationships are manifested in physicochemical environment. Abiotic
component of ecosystem includes basic inorganic elements and compounds, such as
soil, water, oxygen, calcium carbonates, phosphates and a variety of organic
compounds (by-products of organic activities or death).
It also includes such physical factors and ingredients as moisture, wind currents and
solar radiation. Radiant energy of sun is the only significant energy source for any
ecosystem. The amount of non-living components, such as carbon, phosphorus,
nitrogen, etc. that are present at any given time is known as standing state or
standing quantity.
Functions of ecosystem
1. Food circulation in the ecosystem
Food chain
Food chain is a linear sequence of organisms which starts from producer organisms
and ends with decomposer species. Food web is a connection of multiple food
chains. Food chain follows a single path whereas food web follows multiple paths.
From the food chain, we get to know how organisms are connected with each other.
Food chain and food web form an integral part of the ecosystem.
A food chain shows a single pathway from the producers to the consumers and how
the energy flows in this pathway. In the animal kingdom, food travels around
different levels. To understand a food chain better, let us take a look at the terrestrial
ecosystem.
Example for Food chain in Ecosystem
The sun is the source of energy, which is the initial energy source. This is used by the
producers or plants to create their own food, through photosynthesis and grow.
Next in this chain is another organism, which is the consumer that eats this food,
taking up that energy. The primary consumers are the organisms that consume the
primary producers. In a terrestrial ecosystem, it could be a herbivore like a cow or a
goat or it could even be a man. When a goat is consumed by man, he becomes the
secondary consumer.

Producer—– Primary Consumer —– Secondary or territory consumer

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Food web
A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. Each living thing in
an ecosystem is part of multiple food chains. ... All of the interconnected and
overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web. Trophic Levels.
Organisms in food webs are grouped into categories called trophic levels.

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Energy flow in Ecosystem
Energy has been defined as the capacity to do work. Energy exists in two forms
potential and kinetic.
Potential energy is the energy at rest {i.e., stored energy) capable of performing
work. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion (free energy). It results in work
performance at the expense of potential energy. Conversion of potential energy into
kinetic energy involves the imparting of motion.
The source of energy required by all living organisms is the chemical energy of their
food. The chemical energy is obtained by the conversion of the radiant energy of
sun.
The radiant energy is in the form of electromagnetic waves which are released from
the sun during the transmutation of hydrogen to helium. The chemical energy stored
in the food of living organisms is converted into potential energy by the
arrangement of the constituent atoms of food in a particular manner. In any
ecosystem there should be unidirectional flow of energy.
Living organisms can use energy in two forms radiant and fixed energy. Radiant
energy is in the form of electromagnetic waves, such as light. Fixed energy is
potential chemical energy bound in various organic substances which can be broken
down in order to release their energy content.
Organisms that can fix radiant energy utilizing inorganic substances to produce
organic molecules are called autotrophs. Organisms that cannot obtain energy from
abiotic source but depend on energy-rich organic molecules synthesized by
autotrophs are called heterotrophs. Those which obtain energy from living
organisms are called consumers and those which obtain energy from dead
organisms are called decomposers

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When the light energy falls on the green surfaces of plants, a part of it is transformed
into chemical energy which is stored in various organic products in the plants. When
the herbivores consume plants as food and convert chemical energy accumulated in
plant products into kinetic energy, degradation of energy will occur through its
conversion into heat. When herbivores are consumed by carnivores of the first order
(secondary consumers) further degradation will occur. Similarly, when primary
carnivores are consumed by top carnivores, again energy will be degraded.
Trophic level:
The producers and consumers in ecosystem can be arranged into several feeding
groups, each known as trophic level (feeding level). In any ecosystem, producers
represent the first trophic level, herbivores present the second trophic level, primary
carnivores represent the third trophic level and top carnivores represent the last
level.
Ecosystem Productivity
Productivity refers to the rate of generation of biomass in an ecosystem, usually
expressed in units of mass per volume (unit surface) per unit of time, such as grams
per square meter per day (g m−2 d−1).
Primary productivity:
It is defined as the rate of which radiant energy is stored by the producers, most of
which are photosynthetic, and to a much lesser extent the chemosynthetic
microorganisms.
Secondary productivity
It is the rate of energy storage at consumer‘s levels-herbivores, carnivores and
decomposers. Consumers tend to utilize already produced food materials in their
respiration and also converts the food matter to different tissues by an overall
process.

Biogeochemical Cycle
The natural pathway through which essential elements in living matters undergoes
circulation is known as a biogeochemical cycle. The natural elements in the
biogeochemical cycles flow from abiotic (non-living) components to biotic (living)
components.
Biogeochemical, as a term, refers to three aspects in each cycle. Those aspects are
biological, geological and chemical.
Importance of Biogeochemical Cycle
Biogeochemical cycles help in the regulation of natural elements that are necessary
for living beings, by channelling through physical and biological phenomenon. It
acts as a recycling procedure in nature.

Types of Biogeochemical Cycles

Water cycle
Water cycle relates to the movement through various stages such as –
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation

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Infiltration
Run-off
Water is indispensable for life‘s existence, and ocean plays a vital role in the cycle.
Atmospheric water vapour causes precipitation for which evaporation from water
surface is critical. Water cycle also plays a critical role in weather, pressure and
temperature in environment.

Carbon cycle
Carbon moves from atmosphere to living organisms and back again to the
atmosphere. Plants are taken as the starting point of carbon cycle. The main stages in
carbon cycle are – photosynthesis, respiration, combustion and decomposition.
Oxygen cycle
Oxygen cycle is the movement of oxygen through atmosphere, biosphere and
lithosphere. It is released through the process of photolysis. The main steps of the
cycle include photosynthesis and respiration and further repetition.
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is essential for life form owing to its presence in nucleic acids and proteins.
Plants absorb nitrogen through microbial transformations. The main steps involved
in the cycle –
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen assimilation
Ammonification
Nitrification
De-nitrification
Sulphur cycle
Sulphur, which is present mainly as a component of amino acid, may be found in
soil as proteins. It is eventually absorbed by plants as sulphates, through a host of
microbial transformations.
The sulphur proteins convert into hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which is further broken
down into sulphur in reaction with oxygen. With bacterial action, it becomes
sulphate to be absorbed by plants.
Phosphorus cycle
Phosphorus mainly passes through hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. It is
essential for both animal and plant growth. However, it gradually depletes in soil. In
comparison to the carbon cycle, the phosphorus cycle does not pass through the
atmosphere.

Ecological succession
Ecological succession is a sequence of changes that occur in an ecological system
over time.‖ The gradual and progressive growth of a species in any given area with
respect to its changing surroundings is called ecological succession. It is an
anticipated change that beholds the biotic components being an inevitable part of
them in the environment.

Ecological succession aims at reaching the equilibrium in the ecological system. This
is achieved by a community called the climax community. To attain this point of

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equilibrium constant change (increase or decrease) in the number of species is
observed.
The area in which the order of communities undergoes a specific change is called
sere. Each changing community is therefore called a seral community. All
communities around us have undergone ecological succession ever since their
existence was identified. Evolution thus is a simultaneously occurring process along
with ecological succession. Also, the initiation of life on earth can be considered to
be a result of this succession process.
Any area where life started from scratch by succession is termed to have been gone
under a process called primary succession. If on the other hand, if life begins at a
place that has lost all its existing life forms then the process is called secondary
succession.
Primary succession is a gradual and low process because in this case, life starts from
nothing. Secondary succession is a faster process because life has already been
supported in these conditions earlier.
1. Primary Succession
Primary succession is the succession that begins in lifeless areas such as the regions
devoid of soil or barren lands where the soil is unable to sustain life. When the
planet was first formed there was no soil on earth. The earth was only made up of
rocks. These rocks were broken down by microorganisms and eroded to form soil.
This is a process called erosion. The soil then becomes the foundation of plant life.
These plants help in the persistence of different animals and progress from primary
succession to the climax community. If the primary ecosystem is destroyed,
secondary succession takes place.
2. Secondary Succession
Secondary succession occurs when the primary ecosystem gets wiped out. For e.g., a
climax community gets destroyed by fire. It gets recolonized after the devastation.
This is known as secondary ecological succession. Small plants emerge first,
followed by larger plants. The tall trees block the sunlight and change the structure
of the organisms below the canopy. Finally, the climax community comes into
action.
3. Cyclic Succession
The change in the structure of an ecological system on a cyclic basis is called cyclic
succession. There are some plants that stay dormant for most of the year but emerge
all at once. This can cause structural variations in the ecosystem.
4. Seral Community
―A seral community is a transitional stage of ecological succession progressing in the
direction of the climax community.‖ A seral community is substituted by the
succeeding community. It consists of simple food webs and food chains. It exhibits a
very low degree of diversity. The individuals are less in number and the nutrients
are also less.

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Causes of Ecological Succession
Some important causes may be defined as below:
Climatic Causes: these can be rainfall, temperature variations, humidity, gas
composition, etc.
Biotic Causes: the organisms in a community compete to thrive for existence. Some
of them are lost in the process while some new ones are incorporated.
External Causes: soil conditions are affected by the process of migration, invasion,
and competition amongst various species.

Case study of Ecosystem

Forest ecosystem
A forest ecosystem is a functional unit or a system which comprises of soil, trees,
insects, animals, birds, and man as its interacting units. A forest is a large and
complex ecosystem and hence has greater species diversity. Also, it is much more
stable and resistant to the detrimental changes as compared to the small ecosystems
such as wetlands and grasslands. A forest ecosystem, similar to any other ecosystem,
also comprises of abiotic and biotic components. Abiotic components refer to
inorganic materials like air, water, and soil. Biotic components include producers,
consumers, and decomposers. These components interact with each other in an
ecosystem and thus, this interaction among them makes it self-sustainable.
Structural Features of the Forest Ecosystem
The two main structural features of a forest ecosystem are:
Species composition: It refers to the identification and enumeration of the plant and
animal species of a forest ecosystem.
Stratification: It refers to the vertical distribution of different species which occupy
different levels in the forest ecosystem. Every organism occupies a place in an
ecosystem on the basis of source of nutrition. For example, in a forest ecosystem,
trees occupy the top level, shrubs occupy the second and the herbs and grasses
occupy the bottom level. Components of a Forest Ecosystem
The function of a forest ecosystem are as follows:
1. Productivity
The basic requirement for any ecosystem to function and sustain is the constant
input of solar energy. Plants are also the producers in a forest ecosystem.
There are two types of productivity in a forest ecosystem, primary and secondary.
Primary productivity means the rate of capture of solar energy or biomass
production per unit area over a period of time by the plants during photosynthesis.
It is further divided into Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Primary
Productivity (NPP). GPP of an ecosystem is the rate of capture of solar energy or the
total production of biomass. However, plants also use a significant amount of GPP in
respiration. Thus, NPP is the amount of biomass left after the utilization by plants or
the producers. We can hence say that NPP is the amount which is available for the

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consumption to herbivores and decomposers. Secondary productivity means the rate
of absorption of food energy by the consumers.
2. Decomposition
Decomposition is an extremely oxygen-requiring process. In the process of
decomposition, decomposers convert the complex organic compounds of detritus
into inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide, water and nutrients.
Detritus is the remains of the dead plant such as leaves, bark, flowers and also the
dead remains of the animals including their faecal matter. The steps involved in the
process of decomposition are fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and
mineralization. In the process of fragmentation, detritivores break down the detritus
into smaller particles. In the process of leaching, water-soluble inorganic nutrients
descend down into the soil and settle as unavailable salts.
Under the process of catabolism, bacterial and fungal enzymes reduce detritus into
simpler inorganic substances. Humification and mineralization processes take place
during the decomposition of soil and not detritus.
The process of humification leads to the accumulation of humus which undergoes
decomposition at a very slow rate. In the process of mineralization, the humus gets
further degraded by microbes and inorganic nutrients are released.
3. Energy flow
Energy flows in a single direction. Firstly, plants capture solar energy and then,
transfer the food to decomposers. Organisms of different trophic levels are
connected to each other for food or energy relationship and thus form a food chain.
Energy Pyramid is always upright because energy flows from one trophic level to
the next trophic level and in this process, some energy is always lost as heat at each
step.
4. Nutrient Cycling
Nutrient cycling refers to the storage and movement of nutrient elements through
the various components of the ecosystem. There are two types of Nutrient cycling,
gaseous and sedimentary. For Gaseous cycle (i.e. nitrogen, carbon), atmosphere or
hydrosphere is the reservoir whereas for the sedimentary cycle (i.e. phosphorus)
Earth‘s crust is the reservoir.
Advantage of Forest Ecosystem
Forest ecosystem support life on earth. It maintains quality of water and air, the
basic essentials of existence of life. Stability in soil is possible by trees, enables the
land based plants and animals to live. From their biodiversity grows wealth in the
form of food, medicines, essential for human health. It acts as Carbon sinks
absorbing Carbon dioxide and keeps global warning at body. Forests influence
climate and educe extremes of temperature. They conserve soil and regulate
moisture and stream flow. It prevents soil erosion and floods. Forests also supply
raw materials to so many industries like pulp-paper, news print, saw milling,
matches, and medicinal herbs. It is the source of wood for use in houses construction
and fuel wood. Forests help in main export items like teak, paper, paper boards,

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natural resins, seeds obtained from forests. Forests also source of revenue to the
Government in the form of royalty, from leases of forest products. It also provides
employment to a large many people.
Grass Land 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 its 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, Penincillium, and
Cladosporium), aerobic and anaerobic soil bacteria etc. They release the minerals
back into the soil thus making the soil fertile.
Functions of the Grassland Ecosystem
The primary function of an ecosystem is productivity. The producers fix the solar
energy and produce the complex organic matter with the help of minerals. It
provides forage for livestock, protection and conservation of soil and water
resources, furnishing a habitat for wildlife, both flora and fauna and (contribution to
the attractiveness of the landscape. The functional aspects of the Grassland can be
studied by two means:

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1. Food Chain in an ecosystem: There is an important feature of the ecosystem that
one level of an organism serves as food for another level of the organism. A series is
formed which is known as Food Chain. In an ecosystem, the food chain does not
follow the linear pattern, but an organism may feed upon more than one organism in
the same food chain or upon organisms of different food chains. Thus interconnected
food chain system is formed known as a food web.
2. Nutrient cycle in an ecosystem: For any ecosystem to be successful, it is important
that the constituent materials move in a cyclic manner. The producers (green plant)
takes up the mineral elements from the soil and air, convert them into organic form
and after passing through the different trophic levels, are again returned to the soil
and air.

Aquatic ecosystem
The aquatic ecosystem definition states it is a water-based environment, wherein,
living organisms interact with both physical and chemical features of the
environment. These living creatures whose food, shelter, reproduction and other
essential activities depend in a water-based environment are known as aquatic
organisms.
Some of the most common aquatic organisms are – nekton, plankton and benthos.
Additionally, lakes, oceans, ponds, rivers, swamps, coral reefs, wetlands, etc. are a
few popular aquatic ecosystem examples.

Marine Water Ecosystem

This particular ecosystem is the largest aquatic ecosystem and covers over 70% of the
earth‘s total surface. This ecosystem is relatively more concentrated in terms of
salinity.
Nonetheless, the body of aquatic organisms is well-adjusted to saline water, and
they may find it challenging to survive in freshwater. These following categories
comprise the marine ecosystem.
Ocean Ecosystem
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean
are the five major oceans on earth. Notably, the Pacific Ocean is the largest and
deepest of these five, while Atlantic is the second largest in terms of size. Also, the
Southern Ocean harbors the largest population of Krill among them.
Other than that, the oceans serve as home to aquatic organisms like – turtles,
crustaceans, plankton, corals, shellfish, blue whale, shark, tube worms, reptiles, etc..

Estuaries
Typically, it is the meeting point of a sea and rivers, which makes the water slightly
more saline when compared to freshwater and more diluted when compared to the
marine ecosystem.

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Biologically, estuaries are considered to be productive as it stimulate primary
production and trap plant nutrients. Some examples of estuaries include – tidal
marshes, river mouth, and coastal bay.

Freshwater Ecosystem
This aquatic ecosystem covers less than 1% of the earth‘s surface and is broadly
divided into – wetlands, lentic and lotic ecosystems.
Swamps and Wetlands
These are marshy areas which are often covered in water and harbour a variety of
flora and fauna. Wetlands are known to be a home of water lilies, marshes, swamps,
Northern Pikes, dragonflies, Green Heron, etc.
Lentic Ecosystems
It includes standing water bodies like ponds and lakes and is a home to both floating
and rooted plants, algae and invertebrates. Salamander, frogs, water snakes and
alligators are commonly found in lentic ecosystems.
Lotic Ecosystems
These aquatic ecosystems are characterised by rapid flowing water moving in one
direction. They are a hub of a wide variety of insects like beetles, mayflies and
stoneflies, among others. Also, it harbours species like river dolphins, beavers, otters,
eel, minnow and trout.
Functions of Aquatic Ecosystem
Facilitates recycling of nutrients
Helps to purify water
Recharges groundwater
Is a habitat for aquatic flora and flora
Mitigates flood

Desert Ecosystem
Earth is the only planet where life is possible and comprises of an atmosphere,
ecosystem and various land formations that are necessary for the survival. Earth is
70% covered by water and remaining part is covered by land. 1/5th of the earth‘s
land is covered with deserts. Every continent on this earth has a desert and every
desert has its own ecosystem which is known as Desert ecosystem.
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.
Structure and Function:
The different components of a desert ecosystem are:
(A) Abiotic Component

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The abiotic component includes the nutrients present in the soil and the aerial
environment. The characteristic feature of the abiotic component is lack of or-ganic
matter in the soil and scarcity of water.
(B) Biotic Component
The various biotic components representing three functional groups are:
(a) Producer organisms
The producers are mainly shrubs or bushes, some grasses and a few trees.
Surprisingly, there are many species of plants that survive in the desert. Most of
them are succulents, which mean they store water. Others have seeds that lay
dormant until a rain awakens them. Regardless, these plants find a way to get water
and protect themselves from the heat.
(b) Consumers
These include animals such as insects and reptiles. Besides them, some rodents, birds
and some mammalian vertebrates are also found. Desert mammals, Desert Birds,
Desert Reptiles, Desert Insects and Arachnids.
(c) Decomposers
Due to poor vegetation the amount of dead organic matter is very less. As a result
the decomposers are very few. The common decomposers are some bacte-ria and
fungi, most of which are thermophile.

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