Chapter 3 - Ecosystem and Biodiversity

Ecosystem and Biodiversity
Ecology
The word ecology is derived from Greek word ‘Oekologic’.

Oikos means ‘habitation’ or ‘house’ and logos means study.
It was first coined by the German biologist Ernst Hoeckl in
1886, who defined it as “The comprehensive science of the
relationship of the organism to the environment”.
It can also be defined as “ The scientific study of the relationship
of living organism with each other and with their environment”.
Ecosystem
Definition: The living community of plants and animals

(Biotic) in any area together with the non-living
components of the environment such as soil, air and water
(Abiotic) constitute the ecosystem
It is also defined as a Natural unit of living organisms and

their non-living environment that interact to form a stable
system.
STRUCTURE OF AN ECOSYSTEM
theintactone.com
Functions of an ecosystem
Major functional attributes of ecosystem are

• Energy Flow
• Nutrients cycling
• Productivity and decomposition
• Development and stabilization
Ecological Niche
An Ecological niche is the match of a species to a
specific environmental condition
Pocheville, Arnaud (2015)

Ecological Niche- Wading Birds
Holdridge life zones- Terrestrial Ecosystems
Energy and Nutrient Flow in an
Ecosystem
• Energy flows through the ecosystem in one direction.
• On the other hand, matter moves through ecosystem in numerous

cycles. The nutrients that organisms needs to grow, live, and
reproduce are continuously taken from the abiotic environment,
consumed, and then recycled back to the environment.
• There are several such biogeochemical cycles(with biological,

geological and chemical interaction), powered directly or indirectly by
solar energy. They include Water cycle, Carbon cycle, Oxygen cycle,
Nitrogen cycle, Phosphorous cycle.
• Earth is essentially closed system- matter can not escape from its
boundaries.
Biogeochemical cycle
Food Chains
• The producers, consumers, and decomposers

of each ecosystem make up a food chain.
• There are many food chains in an ecosystem.
• Food chains show how energy is transferred
and not who eats who.
Example of a Food Chain
Food Web
Many food chains overlap, since most organisms

have more than one item on their menu. Again an
organism can be found on the menus of many
other organisms. Thus we have a complex network
of interconnected food chains, which is called as
Food Web.
Understanding Food webs-Trophic
Levels
• A trophic level is the position occupied by an organism in a food chain.
• Trophic levels can be analyzed on an energy pyramid.
• Producers are found at the base of the pyramid and compromise the first
trophic level.
• Primary consumers make up the second trophic level.
• Secondary consumers make up the third trophic level.
• Finally tertiary consumers make up the top trophic level.

Biomass
• Energy is sometimes considered in terms of biomass, the
mass of all the organisms and organic material in an area.
• There is more biomass at the trophic level of producers

and fewer at the trophic level of tertiary consumers.
• Bio=life Mass=weight
• Bio + Mass = Weight of living things within an
ecosystem.
17
Energy/Biomass Pyramids
• The greatest amount of

energy/biomass is found at the
base of the pyramid.
• The least amount of
energy/biomass is found at top
of the pyramid.
Assessing Health of Ecosystems
Through Energy/Biomass Pyramids
• A energy/biomass pyramid can never be inverted for a
healthy “closed” ecosystem
• The slope and the trophic levels of the pyramid can be
approximated for a healthy ecosystem (different
ecosystems will have different constituent in each trophic
level and slope in the energy/biomass pyramid).
• A significant deviation from the approximated norm can
point to serious problems in an ecosystem
Health of Ecosystems: A complex systems
perspective
Adapted from Goerner et al., 2009

• Another way to understand the health of an ecosystem is by looking at it as a complex system. A complex
system is defined as a system that is composed of many components which interact with each other in
often unexpectable ways and in a non-linear fashion to show emergent behavior (unexpected behavior)
and spontaneous order (they show some unexpected pattern in otherwise what looks like chaos). These
factors make such systems very difficult to model or simulate on a computer. Ecosystems are a classic
example of a complex system where each component in the system is the biodiversity it hosts.
• When a complex system has few components, it is known as a “efficient system” as it can transmit
anything through it with very little loss. But it is also very susceptible to collapse if a few components fail
and hence have very low sustainability ( meaning Complex systems which are efficient, usually fail more
often). On the flipside, if the system has too many components, it becomes a “stagnant system” as there is
a lot of loss from whatever it is that you are trying to transmit through the system and hence again have
very low sustainability. But they are very resilient to changes as they can withstand failure of many
components in them.
• As research has shown in the graph above, most stable ecosystems occupy a space called the “window of
vitality” where they have just the right amount of biodiversity that allows them good sustainability and
also resiliency. Any changes to the biodiversity to the ecosystem can push it away from this window of
vitality and accelerate their demise. This is another reason why biodiversity of ecosystems need to be
protected.
BIODIVERSITY
The term biodiversity refers to the totality of

species, populations, communities and ecosystems,
both wild and domesticated that constitute the life
of any one area or of the entire plant.
Degree of variety in life in an ecosystem

Relationship between altitude,
ecosystem and biodiversity- Holdrige
Life zones
INDIA’S BIODIVERSITY
 India is home to 33% of the life forms found

in the world, 2 % of the world landmass 8% of
the biodiversity of the world.
 More than 18000 plants
 1337 birds
 More than 400 mammals
 More than 600 reptiles and amphibians
 60% of this wealth can be found in the

Western Ghats
TNAU
Natural systems provide society with many goods and
services: ecosystem services
Pollination Flood control Non-timber forest products
Raw materials Recreation

Gallai et al, 2009
Extinction
Williams, 2013
Effect of climate change- Trophic
Mismatch
Biodiversity Conservation
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
11/13/2022
IUCN Red List Categories International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Source: IUCN
11/13/2022
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups, specified through criteria such as rate of
decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution
fragmentation. There is an emphasis on the acceptability of applying any criteria in the absence of high-
quality data including suspicion and potential future threats, "so long as these can reasonably be
supported".
•Extinct (EX) – beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.

•Extinct in the wild (EW) – survives only in captivity, cultivation and/or outside native range, as presumed
after exhaustive surveys.
•Critically endangered (CR) – in a particularly and extremely critical state.
•Endangered (EN) – very high risk of extinction in the wild, meets any of criteria A to E for Endangered.
•Vulnerable (VU) – meets one of the 5 red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural
(human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.
•Near threatened (NT) – close to being endangered in the near future.
•Least concern (LC) – unlikely to become endangered or extinct in the near future.
•Data deficient (DD)
•Not evaluated (NE)
In situ Conservation Strategies
It means the conservation of ecosystems, natural habitats and

the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species
in their natural surrounding and in the case of domesticated or
cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have
developed their distinctive properties.
•In-situ conservation of biodiversity is the conservation of species within their natural habitat. In this method, the natural
ecosystem is maintained and protected.
•The in-situ conservation has several advantages. Following are the important advantages of in-situ conservation:
•It is a cost-effective and convenient method of conserving biodiversity.
•A large number of living organisms can be conserved simultaneously.
•Since the organisms are in a natural ecosystem, they can evolve better and can easily adjust to different environmental
conditions.
•Certain protected areas where in-situ conservation takes place include national parks, wildlife sanctuaries , and biosphere
reserves.
•National Parks
•These are small reserves maintained by the government. Its boundaries are well demarcated and human activities such as
grazing, forestry, habitat and cultivation are prohibited. For eg., Kanha National Park, Bandipur National Park.
•Wildlife Sanctuaries
•These are the regions where only wild animals are found. Human activities such as timber harvesting, cultivation, collection
of woods and other forest products are allowed here as long as they do not interfere with the conservation project. Also,
tourists visit these places for recreation.
•Biosphere Reserves
•Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected areas where the wildlife, traditional lifestyle of the inhabitants and
domesticated plants and animals are protected. Tourist and research activities are permitted here.
Protected areas:
These are the areas of land and/or sea, especially
dedicated to the protection and maintenance of
biological diversity and of natural and associated
cultural resources.
 Maintaining viable populations of all native species
and subspecies.
 Maintaining the number and distribution of
communities and habitats and conserving the genetic
diversity of all the existing species.
 Preventing man created introduction of exotic species.
 Making it possible for species to shift in response to
environmental changes.
Ex situ conservation strategies :
•It is defines as the conservation of components of

biological diversity outside their natural habitat.
•Eg:- Botanical gardens, zoos, aquaria, gene banks, seed
banks, use of biotechnology and DNA preservation.
Botanical gardens and zoos:-
There are more than 1500 botanical gardens and
arboreta in the world with more than 80000 species.
Similarly there are more than 800 professionally
managed zoos around the world with about 3000
species.
• Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity involves the breeding and
maintenance of endangered species in artificial ecosystems such as
zoos, nurseries, botanical gardens, gene banks, etc. There is less
competition for food, water and space among the organisms.
• Ex-situ conservation has the following advantages:
• The animals are provided with a longer time and breeding activity.
• The species bred in captivity can be reintroduced in the wild.
• Genetic techniques can be used for the preservation of endangered
species.
Biotechnological methods:-
It has provided many new conservation tools in agriculture,
animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and medicine..
1. Gene banks:- It provides a method of conservation of

diverse genetic resources, particularly of threatened species
and those seeds which are not viable for longer periods under
natural conditions.
2. Conservation of DNA:- An emerging and promising

technique in preserving biodiversity is isolation and
conservation of DNA. It can be used for endangered or even
extinct species by taking samples of material from hair, bones
and herbarium specimens of the target species.
SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT
CROPTRUST.ORG
Chang-la Gene bank, Leh
India commissioned its own seed bank

called the Chang-la Gene Banks for long-
term storage of crops germplasm at a
permanently frozen mountain in Leh. It’s
the second seed bank in the world after
Svalbard.
natureasia.com
Problems in Conservation:-
1. Very little understanding of what is to be conserved,

especially with regard to complex natural
ecosystems like tropical rain forests.
2. Limited Financial resources to protect and manage
ecosystems.
3. Alienation of people from their natural resources
bring in resentment among local people and no
protected area.

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Ecosystem and Biodiversity

The word ecology is derived from Greek word ‘Oekologic’.

Definition: The living community of plants and animals

It is also defined as a Natural unit of living organisms and

Major functional attributes of ecosystem are

Pocheville, Arnaud (2015)

• On the other hand, matter moves through ecosystem in numerous

• There are several such biogeochemical cycles(with biological,

• The producers, consumers, and decomposers

Many food chains overlap, since most organisms

• Trophic levels can be analyzed on an energy pyramid.

• Primary consumers make up the second trophic level.

• Secondary consumers make up the third trophic level.

• Finally tertiary consumers make up the top trophic level.

• There is more biomass at the trophic level of producers

• The greatest amount of

Adapted from Goerner et al., 2009

The term biodiversity refers to the totality of

Degree of variety in life in an ecosystem

 India is home to 33% of the life forms found

 60% of this wealth can be found in the

Pollination Flood control Non-timber forest products

Raw materials Recreation

•Extinct (EX) – beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.

It means the conservation of ecosystems, natural habitats and

•It is defines as the conservation of components of

1. Gene banks:- It provides a method of conservation of

2. Conservation of DNA:- An emerging and promising

India commissioned its own seed bank

1. Very little understanding of what is to be conserved,

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