Mr.

Tarun Chauhan

Ecosystem (Part-I)

Introduction: So far we have discussed about many topic related to the evolution,
physiology, molecular cell biology and structure-function of selected macromolecules. In
the current lecture, we will discuss the local habitat, and relationship between different
organisms. Now the question is, What is mean by Ecosystem? An animal can not live in
isolation and interact with biota and abiotic factors, these relationship constitute the
ecological system or ecosystem. In other words, ecosystem is defined as structural and
functional unit of the biosphere, comprising living and non-living factors and their
interaction.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM: Ecosystem is an open system and material

can exchange from one ecosystem to another ecosystem. For ex. Frog move from the
pond to the land and vice-versa. The ecosystem can be classified based on size, nature
and duration;

(1) Nature : On the basis of nature, it can be natural or artificial.

Natural Ecosystem: This ecosystem forms naturally without interference of human.

Example include are pond, river, forest, village, hill etc.

Artificial Ecosystem: This ecosystem is developed and mainted by human. Example

include are flowerbed, backyard, aquarium etc.

(2) Duration: On the basis of duration, ecosystem can be classified as temporary or

permanent.

Temporary ecosystem: it is short lived and man made or natural. Example include rain
fed pond.

Permanent ecosystem: it is long lived and self supported natural ecosystem for very
long period. Example includes forest, river etc.

(3) Size: Ecosystem is classified as small or large ecosystem.

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Small: it is small and also known as microecosystem. It can be temporary or permanent.

For ex. Pond, flowerpot etc

Large: it is large in size and also known as macroecosystem. It is always permanent and
mostly natural. For ex. Ocean, river, forest and desert.

STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTEM: Each and every ecosystem has several components

to sustain it for long duration. It needs matter (water, oxygen, mineral, carbon dioxide),
different types of organisms and continuous recycling of energy (Figure 38.1). These
requirements are met by two imporattn components present in ecosystem; biotic
components and abiotic components.

Figure 38.1: Struture of the Ecosystem.

Biotic Components: The living organisms present in an ecosystem form the biotic
component. They are connected through food. In this series, few organisms are producing
food whereas others are consuling the food.

(i) Producers: The role of producers is to prepare food to provide nutrition to the other
organisms present in the ecosystem. There are two types of producers; photoautotrophs
and chemotrophs.

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Photoautotrophs: These are green plants which can trap sun light to form carbohydrate,
simple sugar from carbon di-oxide and water. This process is known as photosynthesis
and these organisms are called as photoautotrophs.

Chemoautotrophs: Few bacteria such as sulfur bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, can be able
to utilize free energy released from the chemical reactions to prepare organic food with it.
They are called chemoautotrophs and the process is known as chemosynthesis.

(ii) consumers: These are mainly the animals. They are unable synthesize their own food
and depends on producers. They utilizes the oxygen being released from the producers as
well. Several comsumers doesn’t get the food from the producers but they are depended
on consumers it self. As a result, consumers are related to each other through multiple
food chains. There are many types of consumers and we will discuss in details about
these consumer in the subsequent lecture. The consumers are known as heterotrophs.

(iii) decomposers: These are mainly bacteria and fungi. Their primary purpose in the
ecosystem is to decompose the complex organic material into the simple inorganic
material so that it can be use for producers to prepare food.

ABIOTIC COMPONENTS: These factors include the non-living physiochemical

factors of the environment. Abiotic factors are as follows:

(i) Inorganic substances: Inorganic substances like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water,
carbon di-oxide, calcium, phosphorus and their inorganic compounds. These are available
as free form or dissolved in water and may be adsorbed on the soil particles.

(ii) Organic compounds: These are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nuceltic acids etc.
This material is present in dead organic matter. These are broken into the simple
compounds by decomposers in ecosystem for recycling of matter.

(iii) Climatic factors: These are factors present in the environment such as temperature,
humidity, light, wind, rainfall an atomospheric gaseous etc.

Study of specific Ecosystem: Lets take a example of fresh water pond to understand the
function of individual components.

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1. Abiotic Components: Non-living part of the pond includes: (1) water with dissolved
gases, mineral and suspended organic matter. (2) air, CO2 and O2 on the water surface
(3) sunlight.

2. Biotic Components: The biotic constituents include the plants, animals and
microorganisms. They play different role in ecosystem.

Producers: Green plants act as producers.. As discussed previously, they utilized the sun
light, CO2 and water to prepare the food for other organisms.

Consumers: These includes crustaceans, worms, insect larvae and fishes.

Decomposers: Dead plants and animals form the organic debris in the pond. The
decomposer such as bacteria and fungi decay dead body into the simple organic and
inorganic substances.

Figure 38.2: Fresh Pond ecosystem.

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Ecosystem (Part-II)

Summary of Previous Lecture: In the previous lecture, we have discussed several

aspects of ecosystem, various components of ecosystem and their relevance in
maintaining ecology. Now in the current lecture, we will discuss, the relationship
between different organisms and their role in the ecosystem.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOOD CHAIN: The sequential inter-linking of organisms

involving transfer of food energy from the producers, through a series of organisms with
repeated eating and being eaten is referred as “food chain”. The biotic components of the
ecosystem are linked to each other through food chain. In a typical food chain, producers
are at the bottom and their role is to provide food for rest of the community utilizying
solar energy (Figure 39.1). Other organisms belongs to the consumers and finally
decomper are present at the bottom to recycle the organic content. In this manner, a
nutritive interaction relationship exist between the living organisms of an ecosystem. It is
always straight and always follow progressive straight line. The flow of energy is also
unidirectional, from sun to producer and then different series of consumers. In a typical
food chain, there are always 4 or 5 trophic level in the food chain. The distinct sequential
steps in the straight food chains are referred as different trophic levels. For ex. Green
plants stand at the first trophic level; the herbivorous are the second trophic level; and
flesh eaters represent the third trophic levels. The position of plant is at the bottom but
the position of other organism varies to different trophic level in different food chains.
The typical representative food chains are given in the Table 39.1.

Figure 39.1: An Over-view of relationship between different organism in ecosystem.

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Table 39.1 : Typical examples of food chains in different ecosystem.

Type of Producers Herbivores Primary Secondary Tertiary

Ecosystem Carnivores Carnivores Carnivores

Grassland Grasses Insects Frogs Snakes Predatory

Ecosystem birds
Rat and mice Snakes Predatory
birds
Grazing Carnivore
Cattle mammals

Aquatic Phytoplanktons Zooplanktons Small fishes Large fishes

Ecosystem

Forest Trees Phytophagous Lizards, Predatory

Ecosystem insects birds birds

Herbivora Foxes
Lions, Tiger
mammals
Wolves

Dessert Shrubs, bushes Rats and mice Snakes Predatory

Ecosystem birds
Grasses and
some tree

TYPES OF FOOD CHAIN: There are two different types of food chains; grazing food
chain and detritus food chain.

Grazing food chain: In the grazing food chain, solar energy is entrapped by the plants
and then biomass, in tuen eaten by the herbivorous, and these are subsequently been
consumed by a variety of carnivorous. These are longer food and these food chains end at
the decomposer level. Here are two typical example of this type of food chain to
understand this type of food chain.

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(1) Food chain in a pond: In a pond, floated or rooted plants and algae are responsible
for performing photosynthesis to prepare food for other member of ecosystem. They
represent producers in the food chain (Figure 39.2). Unicellular algae are consumed by
protozoan, water flies, snail, mosquito larvae and tadpoles. These small organisms
represent primary consumers. These organisms are eaten by hydra, dragonfly larvae,
giant insects and small fishes. These are secondary consumers. Large fishes and frog fed
on these organism and represent tertiary consumers. Frog and fishes are eaten by snakes,
birds and these are quaternary consumers. Death of all these organism become the food
for bacteria and fungus to produce simple inorganic materials for reuse by the producers.

Figure 39.2: Food Chain in Pond.

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(2) Food chain on land: A typical land food chain is given in Figure 39.3. In land food
chain, grass and tree are the producers. Grass is eaten by rabbit and other herbivorous.
They represents the primary consumers. Rabbit is eaten by cats (secondary consumers),
which in-turn eaten by wolves (tertiary consumers). Both cat and wolves will be
consumed by tigers and other big carnivorous (quaternary consumers). Death of all these
organism become the food for bacteria and fungus to produce simple inorganic materials
for reuse by the producers.

Figure 39.3: Food Chain on land.

Detritus food chain: Unlike grazing food chain, detritus food chain starts with the dead
organic matter either from fallen leaves or dead animal bodies. This food chain doen’t
depends on solar energy. Common example of detritus food chain is marsh land where
mangrove leaves fall into the warm, shallow water (Figure 39.4). The detritus eating
animals ex. Bacteria, fungi and protozoan act upon the dead matter of dead leaves to
covert them into simple inorganic substances. The detritivorous are subsequently eaten by
insect larvae, grass shrimp, copepods, crabs, nematodes, bivalve mollusks, amphipods,
mysids etc. In the last step, the detritus consumers are finally eaten by fishes.

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Figure 39.4: Detritus food chain on marsh land.

Mangroove Bacteria, Fungi Insect Larvae, Minnows, Large

Fallen Leaves and Protozoa Certain small game fishes, fish
crustaceans, fishes eating birds
mollusks

Food Web: The different food chains are inter connected at various trophic level to
develop a food web (Figure 39.5). For example, in grassland ecosystem, grass is
consumed by the rabbit but in their absence, it may be eaten by the grazing cattle.
Similarly, rat or mouse is eaten by snake but snake can be eaten by predatory birds. In
contrast to food chain, food web has several distinct characteristic. (1) Food web are
never straight. (2) Food web is formed due to interlinking of food chains. (3) A food web
in the ecosystem brings alternate source of food. The complex food web gives better
stability to the ecosystem. Most of the animals are polyphagous and they feed on more
than one kind of organism. If the availability of one particular animal is decresing in the
ecosystem, they start eating alternate animal. As a result, it gives chance to other animal
to reproduce and grow in number and in addition, it gives chance to predator to survive.

Figure 39.5: Food web in a pond.

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Ecological Pyramids: In a food chain, producers and consumers at different trophic level
are connected in terms of number, biomass and energy. These properties reduces from
producers to consumers and representing these parameters for food chain gives a pyramid
with a broad base and a tapering apex (Figure 39.6). Ecological pyramids can be of three
types:

(a) Pyramid of Numbers

(b) pyramid of biomass

(c) pyramid of energy

Example of inverted ecological pyramid is provided by parasitic food chains (Figure

39.7). A single mango tree supports large number of birds, which in turn supports a large
number of parasites like lice and bugs. Hyperparasites, such as bacteria and fungus are
the greatest in the number and occupy the top of the invertes pyramids.

Figure 39.6: Ecological Pyramid in a pond.

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Figure 39.7: Inverted Ecological Pyramid Food web in a grass land.

Flow of energy in food chain: Sun is the ultimate source of energy on earth and plants
utilizes it to produce food for rest of the member of the ecosystem. Only the 1% of the
total energy fall on green part of leaves is changed into the potential energy of the organic
substances, the rest of the energy dissipates as heat. To explain the flow of energy,
lindermann proposed the law of ten per cent law. This law proposed that during transfer
of food energy from one trophic level to the other, only 10% is stored at higher trophic
and the rest 90% is lost in respiration, decomposition and waste in the form of heat
(Figure 39.8). For example, 5000 jules fall on leaves, it will convert only 50 jules into the
chemical form (food). It will be eaten by rabbit, he will get only 5 jules (10% of 50 jules)
on next trophic level. Rabbit will be consumed by carnivorous and they can be able store
only 0.5 jules (10% of 5 jules).

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Figure 39.8: Flow of Energy and Ten per cent law in food chain.

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Ecosystem (Part-III)

Summary of Previous Lecture: In the previous lectures, we have discussed several

aspects of ecosystem, interaction between different biotic components and their relevance
in maintaining ecosystem. Now in the current lecture, we will discuss, different abiotic
components, regulation of these factors and their role in the ecosystem.

Ecological Equilibrium: Ecosystem always remain in the state of equilibrium. The

equilibrium is dynamic is nature and biotic components appear and disappear time to
time due to their death or predator. In addition, decomposer convert the complex organic
matter of dead plant and animals into the simple inorganic substances. These simple
inorganic substance pass through the soil, plants and animals in a cyclic manner, and this
keeps the life going on in an ecosystem. Thus, both biotic and abiotic components are in a
dynamic state.

Pollution: The disturbance of dynamic equilibrium due to excessive introduction of

containment leads to the development of pollution. It may effect the environment in
different forms such as noise, heat, light or chemical substances. The major forms of
pollution are as follows:

Air Pollution: The release of chemicals and particulate matter into the environment to
disturb air quality. The major pollutant belongs to carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons and nitrogen oxides. The major source of these gaseous are motor
vehicles and industrial waste (Figure 40.1). In addition, reaction of hydrocarbon with
sunlight to generate photochemical ozone and smog. Particulate matter or fine dust
present in air contributes into the air pollution.

Soil Pollution: The flow of chemicals from contaminated water reservoir such as river or
lake, as well as from rain water leads to the spreading of chemicals on the soil. It leads to
the contamination of soil with hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and
chlorinated hydrocarbons.

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Radioactive Pollution: With the evident advancement in the atomic physics, nuclear
power plants are estabilished to produce energy and electricity. These activities generates
large quantity of radioactive waste in the environment and contaminate air, water and
soil.

Thermal Pollution: The release of energy from nuclear power plant into the natural
water bodies leads to the change in temperature of water. In addition, accumulation of
green house gases into the environment causes trapping of solar energy into the
atmosphere and ultimate raise in temperature of earth.

Figure 40.1: An Over-view of Air Pollution.

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Noise Pollution: The main source of noise pollution is the contribution of sound from
vehicles, aircraft noise, loud speaker, industrial machines and other source of sound
(Figure 40.2). High noise can cause the development of cardiovascular effects such as
rise in blood pressure, stress and vasoconstriction, and other coronary complications.

Figure 40.2: An over-view of Noise Pollution.

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Water Pollution: The contamination of water from commercial and industrial waste
causes water pollution(Figure 40.3). In addition, discharge of untreated domestic waste,
sewag and chemical contaminants such as chlorine. The run away of chemicals from
agricultural lands contains chemical fertilizers and pesticides into the river, lake also
causes water pollution.

Figure 40.3: An Over-view of Water Pollution.

Effect of pollution on human health: Different forms of pollution effects the human
health either directly or indirectly. Few of the selected effects on human health are given
in Figure 40.4. These effects are as follows:

1. Depletion of ozone can cause skin cancer due to exposure of harmful ultraviolet
radiation.

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2. Ozone pollution can cause cardiovascular complications, throat inflammation, chest

pain and congestion.

3. Water pollution causes death in developing countries due to consumption of

contaminated water. It is the major cause of spreading water born diseases in human
society.

4. Oil spilage can cause skin complications and rashes.

5. Noise pollution causes hearing loss, cardiovascular complications and sleep disorders.

6. Air pollution affects the older people due to its effect on lung and heart. Air pollution
can cause development of asthama in children and infants. Lead, heavy metals and
suspended particles in air cause neurological and developmental complications.

7. Radioactive and chemical pollution causes several types of cancer and birth defects.

Figure 40.4: Effect of Pollution on human health.

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