Ecosystem
Chapter 12
Ecosystem
Ecosystems:
Patterns,
components;
productivity and
decomposition;
energy flow;
pyramids of number,
biomass,
energy.
Ecosystem- It is the functional unit of nature where biotic component interacts among themselves and
also with the abiotic component.
Categories of Ecosystem
*Terrestrial ecosystem- Ex. Forest, grassland, desert.
*Aquatic ecosystem- Ex. Pond, lake, wetland, river and estuary.
*Man made ecosystem- Crop field and aquarium.
Components of Ecosystem
*Biotic components- Living components. Ex. Plants and animals
*Abiotic components- Non-living components. Ex. Soil, water and air.
Ecosystem – Structure and Function
* Interaction of biotic and abiotic components result in a physical structure.
*Stratification- Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is called as
stratification. Ex. Trees occupy the top vertical strata followed by shrubs and thereafter by herbs and
grasses.
Ecosystem Components Function as a Unit-
*Productivity - The rate of biomass production is called as productivity.
Primary production: Amount of biomass or organic matter produced per unit area over a time period by plants
during photosynthesis.
Expressed in terms of weight (gm–2) or energy (K cal m–2).
Rate of biomass production is productivity, expressed as gm–2 yr–1 or (K cal m–2) yr–1.
It can be divided into:
(i) Gross primary productivity (GPP): Rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis.
(ii) Net primary productivity (NPP): Available biomass for the consumption to heterotrophs (herbivores
and decomposers). NPP = GPP - R (where R is respiration loss)
Primary productivity depends on a plant species inhabiting a particular area.
*Depends on environmental factors, availability of nutrients and photosynthetic capacity of plants.
*Thus, varies in different types of ecosystems:
*Annual net primary productivity of whole biosphere is approximately = 170 billion tons (dry wt.) of
organic matter.
*Productivity of oceans (70% of surface) = 55 billion tons, rest is on land.
Secondary productivity: Rate of formation of new organic matter by consumers.
Decomposition- Breakdown of complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide,
water and nutrients.
Detritus- Dead plant remains and dead remains of animals.
Fragmentation Detritivores (e.g., earthworms) break down detritus into smaller particles. This
process is called fragmentation.
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 simpler inorganic substances.
Humification Accumulation of a dark coloured amorphous substance called humus.
Mineralization Degradation- of humus microbes and release of inorganic nutrients in the soil.
Factors affecting rate of Decomposition
*Chemical composition- The decomposition rate will be slow when detritus is rich in lignin and chitin
and the rate increases when detritus is rich in nitrogen and water-soluble substances like sugars.
*Climatic conditions- Warm and moist environment favour decomposition and low temperatures and
anaerobiosis inhibit decomposition.
Energy Flow
*All living organisms are dependent on their food on producers, directly or indirectly.
*There is a unidirectional flow of energy from the sun to producers and then to consumers.
*Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is responsible for the synthesis of food by plants.
*Transfer of energy follows the 10 percent law that is only 10 percent of the energy is transferred to each
trophic level from the lower trophic level
Trophic Levels in an Ecosystem
Amount of energy decreases at successive trophic levels.
Only 10% of the energy is transferred to each trophic level from the lower trophic level (10% Law).
Food Chain –
* Consumers obtain their food from autotrophs (plants).
* Food chain is the flow of energy from one trophic level to another trophic level.
* Trophic level: Based on the source of their nutrition or food, organisms occupy a specific place in the food
chain that is known as the trophic level. E.g. producer, herbivore, primary carnivore, secondary carnivore
Grass (Producer) → Goat (Primary Consumer) → Man (Secondary Consumer)
Food chains are of two types-
*Grazing Food Chain (GFC) and Detritus Food Chain (DFC)
GFC Energy flows from producers to consumers.
DFC Begins with dead organic matter. It is made up of saprotrophs/ decomposers (heterotrophic organisms
like fungi and bacteria)
Standing Crop
*Each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time.
*Measured as the mass or living organisms (Biomass) or the number in a unit area.
*Measurement of biomass in terms of dry weight is more accurate.
Standing State
*Organisms need a constant supply of nutrients to grow, reproduce and regulate various body
functions.
*The amount of nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium etc., present in the soil at
any given time.
*It varies in different kinds of ecosystems and also one seasonal basis.
Food Web -The natural interconnection of the food chain forms the food web.
Significance of Food Web:
(1) Food webs permit alternative foods.
(2) They ensure a better chance of survival of an organism, in case any of its food
sources happens to be scarce
(3) More complex food web means a more stable ecosystem
Ecological Pyramids
*Pyramid is the graphical representation of an ecological parameter (number, biomass,
energy) sequence-wise in various trophic levels of a food chain with producers at the base
and herbivores in the middle and carnivores at the top tiers.
*It can be upright, inverted, or spindle-shaped.
Three common ecological pyramids are –
Pyramids of number
*Represent the number of individuals per unit area at various trophic levels with a producer at the base.
*It is generally upright.
*A pyramid of numbers in the case of a big tree is generally inverted because the number of insects
feeding on that tree generally exceeds in number.
Pyramids of biomass
*Represent the biomass in various trophic levels.
*The pyramid of mass is upright except in the aquatic food chain involving short lived plankton.
*A pyramid of biomass in the sea is generally inverted.
Pyramids of energy
*Gives graphic representation of the amount of energy trapped by different trophic levels per unit area.
*It is always upright, and can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular trophic
level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step. Eg. in feeding, digestion,
assimilation and respiration.
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 that never exists in nature. It does not
accommodate a food web.
*Saprophytes are not given any place in ecological pyramids even though
they play a vital role in the ecosystem.