ECOSYSTEM

Basic Functional unit of nature in which living

organisms interact with biotic and abiotic factors
in their surroundings.
 ECOSYSTEM
TERRESTRIAL AQUATIC
• Natural • Natural
1.Grass land 1.Sea
2. Forest 2. River
3. Desert 3. Pond
• Artificial • Artificial
Crop field Aquarium
 Ecosystem Structure and Function
STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS
• Abiotic and Biotic 1. Productivity
components 2. Decomposition
• Stratification 3. Energy flow
• Species 4. Nutrient cycling
composition
 Structure of an Ecosystem
Biotic and Abiotic components
 Stratification
Vertical distribution of different species
occupying different levels
 FUNCTIONS of an Ecosystem
1.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 g/m² or kcal/m²
Primary Productivity
The rate of biomass production is called primary
productivity.
Expressed in terms of g/m²/year or kcal/m²/year
 Primary productivity
Gross Primary Productivity(GPP) Net Primary Productivity(NPP)
• GPP of an ecosystem is the • Gross Primary Productivity
rate of production of minus respiration losses (R)
organic matter during is the Net Primary
photosynthesis. Productivity.
• GPP- R =NPP
• Some amount of GPP is
used by plants for • NPP is the available biomass
for heterotrophs.
respiration.
• Secondary Productivity is
the rate of formation of
new organic matter by
consumers.
 Factors affecting Primary productivity
1. Environmental factors
a) Sunlight
b) Temperature
c) Moisture (rain)
2. Availability of nutrients
3. Photosynthetic efficiency .
• NPP of Biosphere is 170 Billion tons(dry weight) of
organic matter
• Oceans occupy 70% surface area but NPP is 55 billion
tons.
• Rest from Land ecosystem
2.DECOMPOSITION
• Breakdown of complex organic matter into
inorganic substances like COշ , HշO and
Nutrients is called Decomposition.
• The materials which under go decomposition
are called Detritus.
Plant remains and dead remains of animals.
• The organisms which help in decomposition
are called Decomposers(Detritivores).
Earthworms,Bacterias,Fungi
Steps in Decomposition
DECOMPOSITION CYCLE
A-Green leaf fall to the ground B – Fragmentation ,Leaching
E- Catabolism D-Humification C- Organic rich
soil(Mineralisation)
 Steps in Decomposition
1.FRAGMENTATION:
Break down of detritus into smaller particles by
detritivores.
2. LEACHING:
Water soluble inorganic nutrients go down into the
soil horizon and get precipitated as unavailable salts.
3.CATABOLISM :
Degradation of detritus into simpler inorganic
substances by the action of bacterial and fungal
enzymes.
All these steps operates simultaneously on the
detritus
 Steps in Decomposition
HUMIFICATION and MINERALISATION occur during
decomposition in the soil
4. HUMIFICATION:
Accumulation of dark coloured amorphous substance
called Humus in the soil is called Humification.
➢ Highly resistant to microbial action , so rate of
decomposition is slow at this stage.
➢ Colloidal in nature.
➢ Reservoir of nutrients.
5. MINERALISATION:
Further degradation of humus and release of
inorganic nutrients by microbes is called mineralisation.
 Factors affecting rate of decomposition
1) An aerobic process.
2) Rate of decomposition depends on the chemical
composition of detritus and climate.
3) In Chitin and Lignin rich detritus decomposition is
slower.
4) In Nitrogen and sugars (water soluble substances)
Decomposition is quicker.
5) Warm and moist environment fasten
decomposition.
6) Low temperature and anaerobiosis slower
decomposition.
 3.ENERGY FLOW
• Sun is the energy system for all ecosystem.
• PAR-Photosynthetically Active Radiation is the
available solar radiation(50% of incident rays) for
Photosynthesis.
• Plants use 2-10% of PAR.
• This energy flows through different organisms of an
ecosystem.
• Energy flow in an ecosystem follows the Laws of
Thermodynamics.
• Unidirectional flow of energy (First law)
• Constant supply of energy to counteract the energy
loss (second law).
Energy flow in an ecosystem
FOOD CHAIN
 Food Chain
• Producers-Green Plants
• Consumers-
Primary consumers- Herbivores
Secondary consumers- Primary carnivores
Teritiary consumers- Secondary carnivores
The energy trapped by the producer is pass on
to the cosumers through the food chain.
 TYPES OF FOOD CHAIN
Grazing Food Chain(GFC) Detritus Food Chain(DFC)
1.Starts with Green Plants. 1. Starts with dead organic
2. Less fraction of energy flows matters and decomposers.
through GFC. 2. Large fraction of energy
3.Energy for food chain comes flows through DFC.
from sun. 3. Energy for food chain
4. GFC is main conduit for comes from Detritus.
energy flow in an aquatic 4. In terrestrial ecosystem
ecosystem. DFC cotribute large
amount of energy flow.
 FOOD WEB
• The natural interconnection of food chain is
known as food web.
• In natural ecosystem some of the organisms of
GFC are prey to DFC animals.
• Eg: Omnivores (Crow,Cockroaches)
TROPHIC LEVELS : Based on the source of the food
,organisms occupy a specific place in the
foodchain.That is known as trophic level.
1.Amount of energy decreases at successive trophic
levels.
2. Transfer of energy follows 10% law.(Lindeman’s –
Only 10% of energy is passed on to the next trophic
level.)
2.Organism at each trophic level depends those at
the lower trophic level.
3. Mass of living material at each trophic level at a
particular time is called standing crop.
4. Standing crop is measured as biomass or number
of living organisms in a unit area.
5.Biomass may be expressed in terms of fresh
weight or dry weight.
Energy flow through different trophic levels.
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
• The relationship between producers and
consumers at different trophic levels in an
ecosystem graphically represented in the form of
a pyramid called ecological pyramid.
• The base always represents the producers (the
first trophic level).
• The apex represents the top level consumer (the
last trophic level)
• Ecological pyramids are of three types.
1.Pyraid of number 2.Pyramid of biomass
3.pyramid of energy.
 PYRAMID OF NUMBER

• ‘The relationship between producers and

consumers in an ecosystem can be
represented in terms of number of organisms
at different level called pyramid of number.
• It is inverted when count the number of birds
feeding on a tree.
The relationship between producers and consumers in
an ecosystem can be represented in terms of biomass of
organisms at different level called pyramid of biomass.
Up right in case of grassland Inverted in case of pond
ecosystem ecosystem.

.
The relationship between producers and consumers in
an ecosystem can be represented in terms of flow of
energy is called pyramid of energy.

• It is always upright because

a) Loss of energy at each step as heat.
b) Energy flow follows 10% law.
Limitations of ecological pyramids
• It never takes into account the same species
belonging to two or more trophic levels.
• It assumes a never exist food chain and does
not accommodate a food web.
• Saprophytes are not given any place in
ecological pyramid in spite of their vital role
in an ecosystem.