Ecology – Ecosystem Ecosystem is the basic functional unit of Ecology.

The meaning of the word ecology Definition

was given by German Biologist
Haeckel in 1869.  A group of organisms interacting among
themselves and with environment is known as
The word ecology is derived from ecosystem. Thus an ecosystem is a community
Greek words ‘Oikos’ meaning house, of different species interacting with one
habitat or place of living and ‘Logos’ meaning to study. another and with their non living environment
exchanging energy and matter.
After that....Danish botanist,
 Ecology is the study of ecosystems.
Eugenius Warming elaborated the
idea of Ecology. Example
Definition Animals cannot synthesis their food directly but depend
on the plants either directly or indirectly.
 Ecology is the study of interactions
among organism or group of organisms
with their
environment. The environment consists of both
biotic components (living organisms) and abiotic
components (non–living organisms).

Ecology is study of interactions between

Non-living components in the environment...

 Light
STRUCTURE OF AN ECOSYSTEM
 Water
 Wind The term structure refers to the various components of
 Nutrients in soil an ecosystem.
 Heat
An ecosystem has two major components
 Solar radiation
 Atmosphere, etc.  Biotic (living) components
 Abiotic (non living) components
Living organisms...
Biotic components
 Plants
 Animals The living organisms (or) living members in an
 Microorganisms in soil, etc. ecosystem collectively called biotic components (or)
biotic community.
Ecosystem
Ex: Plants, Animals, Microorganisms
The term Ecosystem was
first proposed by A.G. Classification biotic components
Tansley in 1935.
The members of the biotic components of an
An ecosystem consists ecosystem are grouped into three based on how they
of the biological get food.
community that occurs
 Producer (Plants)
in some locale, and the
 Consumer (Animals)
physical and chemical
 Decomposers (Micro-organisms)
factors that make up its
non-living environment.
There are many examples of ecosystems - a pond, a
desert, a forest, an estuary, an ocean.
1. Producers (Autotrophs) B. Secondary consumers (primary carnivores)
(Meat eaters):
Producers synthesise their food themselves through
photosynthesis  Secondary consumers are primary carnivores,
they feed on primary consumers. They
Ex: All green plants, trees.
directly depend on the herbivores for their
Photosynthesis food. Ex: Frog, cat, snakes, small birds, etc.,

The green pigment called chlorophyll, present in the C. Tertiary consumers (Secondary carnivores)
leaves of plants, converts CO2 and H2O in the presence (Meat- eaters)
of sunlight into carbohydrates.
 Tertiary consumers are secondary carnivores,
6CO2 + 6H2O----> C6H12O6 + 6O2 they feed on secondary consumers. They
depend on the primary carnivores for their
This process is called photosynthesis
food. Ex: Hawk, Eagle, Tiger, Lion, etc.,

Omnivore: Organisms that feed both on plants and

animals. Ex: Human, rat, birds.

Detritivore: They feed on dead organisms, wastes of

living beings, and partially decomposed matter. Ex:
Termites, earthworm, ants etc.

3. Decomposers

Decomposers attack
the dead bodies of
producers and
consumers and
decompose them into
2. Consumers also called as Heterotrophs: simpler compounds.

Classification of consumers During the

decomposition,
Consumers are further classified as:
inorganic nutrients are released.
A. Primary consumers or Herbivores or Plant eaters:
The inorganic nutrients together with other organic
 Primary consumers are also called herbivores, substances are then utilized by the producers for the
they directly depend on the plants for their synthesis of their own food.
food. So, they are called plant eaters.
Examples: Insects, rat, goat, deer, cow etc.
 Abiotic (non-living) components FUNCTION OF AN ECOSYSTEM
The non-living components (physical and chemical) of The function of an ecosystem is to allow flow of energy
ecosystem collectively form a community called abiotic and cycling of nutrients.
components (or) abiotic community.
Functions of an ecosystem are of three types:
Ex: Climate, soil, water, air, energy etc.,
1. Primary function: The primary function of all
1. Physical components: Include the energy, climate, ecosystem is manufacture of starch
nutrients and living space that the biological (photosynthesis).
community needs. They are useful for the growth and 2. Secondary function: The secondary function of
maintenance of its member. all ecosystem is distribution energy in the form
of food to all consumers.
Ex: Air, water, soil, sunlight, etc.,
3. Tertiary Function: All living systems diet at
2. Chemical Components: They are the sources a particular stage. These dead systems are
of essential nutrients. decomposed to initiate third function of
ecosystems namely “cycling”.
Organic substances: Protein, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.,
The functioning of an ecosystems may be understood by
Inorganic substances: All micro (Al, Co, Zu, Cu) and
studying the following terms.
macro elements (C, H, O, P, N, P, K) and few other
elements.  Energy and material flow.
 Food chains
 Food webs
 Food pyramids

ENERGY FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEMS

 Energy is the most essential requirement for

all living organisms.
TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM  Solar energy is the only source to our
planet earth.
Natural ecosystem: These operate themselves under
 Solar energy is transformed to chemical
natural conditions. Based on habitat types, it can be
energy in photosynthesis by the plants
further classified into three types.
(Primary producers).
Terrestrial ecosystem: This ecosystem is related to land.  Some amount of chemical energy is used by
Ex: Grassland ecosystem, forest ecosystem, desert the plants for their growth and the remaining is
ecosystem, etc., transferred to consumers by the process of
eating.
Aquatic ecosystem: This ecosystem is related to water. It
 Thus, the energy enters the ecosystems through
is further sub-classified into two types based on salt
photosynthesis and passes through the
content.
different tropic levels or feeding levels.
 Fresh water ecosystem
a) Running water ecosystems. Ex:
Rivers, Streams...
b) Standing water ecosystems Ex: Pond, lake...
 Marine ecosystem
(a) Ex: Seas and sea shores...

Man-made (or) Artificial ecosystems: Artificial

ecosystem is operated (or) maintained by man himself.
Ex: Croplands, gardens...
The flow of energy in an ecosystem follows the laws of
thermodynamics.

I. law of thermodynamics - “Energy neither can be

created nor destroyed, but it can be converted from
one from to other”.

Energy for an ecosystem comes from the sun. It is

Tropic Levels (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5) (or) Feeding levels
absorbed by plants, it is converted into chemical energy.
This chemical energy utilised by consumers transform The various steps through which food energy passes
into heat.
in
II. law of thermodynamics - “Whenever energy an ecosystem is called as tropic levels. The tropic levels
is transformed, there is a loss of energy through are arranged in the following way,
the release of heat”.
 The green plants or producers represent
Energy is transferred between tropic levels in the form the first tropic level T1,
of heat as it moves from one tropic level to another  The herbivores or primary consumers represent
tropic level. The loss of energy takes place through second tropic level T2.
respiration, work, running, hunting etc.,  The carnivores or secondary
consumers represent third tropic level
T3.
 The tertiary consumers are fourth tropic
level T4.
 Finally, decomposers represent last tropic
level T5.

FOOD CHAINS

Definition

“There sequence of eating and being eaten in an

ecosystem is known as food chain” (or) “Transfer of food
Food chains are classified into two main types
energy from the plants through a series of organisms is
known as food chain”  Grazing food chain
 Detritus food chain
 A food chain always starts with plant life and
ends with animal. When the organisms die, Grazing food chain: Found in Grassland ecosystems and
they are all decomposed by microorganism pond ecosystems. Grazing food chain starts with green
(bacteria and fungi) into nutrients that can plants (primary producers) and goes to decomposer
again be used by the plants. food chain or detritus food chain through herbivores
 At each and every level, nearly 80-90% of and carnivores.
the potential energy gets lost as heat.
Detritus food chain: Found in Grassland ecosystems and
forest ecosystems. Detritus food chain starts with dead
organic matter (plants and animals) and goes to
decomposer food chain through herbivores and
carnivores.
 Difference between food chains and food web:

In a linear food chain if one species gets affected (or)

FOOD WEB
becomes extinct, then the species in the subsequent
The interlocking pattern of various food chains in an tropic levels are also affected. But, in a food web, if one
ecosystem is known as a food web. species gets affected, it does not affect other tropic
levels so seriously. There are number of options
In a food web many food chains are interconnected,
available at each tropic level.
where different types of organisms are connected at
different tropic levels, so that there are a number of
opportunities of eating and being eaten at each tropic
level.

Grass may be eaten by insects, rats, deer's, etc., these

may be eaten by carnivores (snake, fox, tiger). Thus
there is a interlocking of various food chains called food
webs

Significance of food chains and food webs:

 Food chains and food webs play a very

important role in the ecosystem. Energy flow
and nutrient cycling takes place through them.
 They maintain and regulate the population
size of different tropic levels, and thus help in
maintaining ecological balance.
 They have the property of bio-magnification.
The non-biodegradable materials keep on
passing from one tropic level to another. At
each successive tropic level, the concentration
keep on increasing. This process is known as
bio- magnification.
 rats

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS

 “Graphical representation of structure

and function of tropic levels of an
ecosystem, starting with producers at the
bottom and successive tropic levels
forming the apex is known as an
ecological pyramid.”
 In food chain starting from the producers to
the consumers, there is a regular decrease in
the biomass and number of the organisms.
 Since energy is lost as heat in each tropic
levels, it becomes progressively smaller near
the top.

Types of Ecological pyramids

 Pyramid of numbers.
 Pyramid of energy.
 Pyramid of biomass.

1. Pyramid of numbers

A pyramid of numbers can be used to show the number

of organisms at each stage of a food chain.

It represents the number of individual organisms

present in each tropic levels.

Ex: A grassland Ecosystem

 The producers in the grasslands are grasses,

which are in size and large in numbers. So the
producers occupy lower tropic level (1St
tropic level).
 The primary consumers (herbivores) are rats,
the 2nd tropic level. Since the number of
 are lower Compared to the grasses, the size is
small.
 The secondary consumers (carnivores) are
snakes, which occupy the 3rd tropic level.
Since the number of snakes are lower when
compared to the rats.
 The tertiary consumers (carnivores) are eagles,
which the next tropic level. The number and
size of the last level is till smaller.

2. Pyramids of biomass (mass

of tissue of living organism)

A pyramid of biomass is a
graphical representation of
biomass present in a unit area of
various trophic levels. It shows
the relationship between biomass
and trophic level quantifying the
biomass available in each trophic
level.

It represents the total amount of biomass (mass or

weight of biological material or organism) present in
each tropic levels. Ex: A forest ecosystem
The above figure shows that there is a decrease in the FOREST ECOSYSTEM
biomass from the lower tropic level to the higher tropic
level. This because the trees (producers) are maximum A forest is an area with a high density of trees. A forest
in the forest, which contribute a huge biomass. The next ecosystem is one in which tall trees grow that support
tropic levels are herbivores (rabbit, deer) and carnivores many animals and birds. The forests are found in
(snakes, fox). Top of the tropic level contains few tertiary undisturbed areas receiving moderate to high rainfall.
consumers (lion, tiger), the biomass of which is very low. The forest occupies nearly 31% of the world’s land in
India it is only 19% of total land area.
3. Pyramid of Energy
Types of forest ecosystem
 This pyramid indicates not only the amount of
energy flow at each level, but more Based upon the climate conditions, forests are classified
importantly, the actual role the various into:
organisms play in the transfer of energy.  Tropical Rain forests.
 An energy pyramid illustrates how much  Tropical deciduous forests.
energy is needed as it flows upwards to  Tropical scrub forests.
support the next trophic level.  Temperate rain forests.
 Always there is a huge loss of energy.  Temperate deciduous forests.

Characteristics of forest ecosystems

 Forests are characterised by warm

temperature and adequate rainfall, which
make the generation of number of ponds, lakes
etc.,
 The forest maintains climate and rainfall.
 The forest support many wild animals and
protect biodiversity.
 The soil is rich in organic matter and
nutrients which support the growth of trees.
 Since penetration of light is so poor, the
conversion of organic matter into nutrients
is very fast.
Structure and Function of forest ecosystem It provides numerous environmental services like;
I. Abiotic components  Nutrient cycling,
 Maintaining biodiversity
The abiotic components include basic inorganic &
 Providing wildlife habitat
organic compounds present in the soil & atmosphere. In
 Affecting rainfall patterns
addition, minerals, the occurrence of litter is
 Regulating stream flow
characteristic features of majority of forests.
 Storing water
II. Biotic components  Reducing flooding
 Preventing soil erosion
1. Producers: In a forest, the producers are
 Reclaiming degraded land & many more....
mainly trees produce food by photosynthesis.
Apart from trees, climbers, epiphytes, shrubs Apart from environmental values, forest
and ground vegetation. Dominant species of ecosystems have some traditional values as well.
trees in forest are Dalbergia, Tectona grandis,
 Fire Wood & Timber.
Lichens, Fern, Pine, Cedar.
 Fruits.
2. Consumers
 Gums.
 Primary consumers (herbivores): They
 Herbs & drugs.
directly depend on the plants for their
food. Ex: Ants, flies, insects, mice, deer,
squirrels. Larger animals such as Elephants,
Deer,
giraffes, etc.
 Secondary consumers (primary
carnivores): They directly depend on the
herbivores for their food. Ex: Lizards,
snakes, birds, fox.
 Tertiary consumers: They depend on
the primary carnivores for their food.
Ex:
Animals like tiger, lion, etc.,
3. Decomposers: They decompose the dead
plant and animal matter. Ex: Bacteria and
fungi.