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    Sudipta Hait - 18302205036

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    swarnagopal das
    An ecosystem is defined as the interaction between living organisms and their environment. It has both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components. Biotic components include producers like plants, primary consumers like herbivores, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers like fungi and bacteria. Abiotic components include non-living factors like air, water, soil, sunlight and temperature. Ecosystems function by regulating ecological processes, cycling nutrients, maintaining balance between trophic levels, and allowing the exchange of energy and matter between biotic and abiotic parts. Key functional components are productivity, energy flow between trophic levels, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

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    Sudipta Hait - 18302205036

    Uploaded by

    swarnagopal das
    25 views3 pages
    An ecosystem is defined as the interaction between living organisms and their environment. It has both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components. Biotic components include producers like plants, primary consumers like herbivores, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers like fungi and bacteria. Abiotic components include non-living factors like air, water, soil, sunlight and temperature. Ecosystems function by regulating ecological processes, cycling nutrients, maintaining balance between trophic levels, and allowing the exchange of energy and matter between biotic and abiotic parts. Key functional components are productivity, energy flow between trophic levels, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

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    Sudipta hait_18302205036

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    An ecosystem is defined as the interaction between living organisms and their environment. It has both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components. Biotic components include producers like plants, primary consumers like herbivores, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers like fungi and bacteria. Abiotic components include non-living factors like air, water, soil, sunlight and temperature. Ecosystems function by regulating ecological processes, cycling nutrients, maintaining balance between trophic levels, and allowing the exchange of energy and matter between biotic and abiotic parts. Key functional components are productivity, energy flow between trophic levels, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    25 views3 pages

    Sudipta Hait - 18302205036

    Uploaded by

    swarnagopal das
    An ecosystem is defined as the interaction between living organisms and their environment. It has both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components. Biotic components include producers like plants, primary consumers like herbivores, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and decomposers like fungi and bacteria. Abiotic components include non-living factors like air, water, soil, sunlight and temperature. Ecosystems function by regulating ecological processes, cycling nutrients, maintaining balance between trophic levels, and allowing the exchange of energy and matter between biotic and abiotic parts. Key functional components are productivity, energy flow between trophic levels, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

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    NAME = SUDIPTA HAIT

    STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTEM IN DIFFERENT


    PARTS OF THE WORLD
    What is an Ecosystem?
    An ecosystem is a structural and functional unit of ecology where the living organisms
    interact with each other and the surrounding environment. In other words, an ecosystem
    is a chain of interactions between organisms and their environment. The term
    “Ecosystem” was first coined by A.G.Tansley, an English botanist, in 1935.
    Read on to explore the structure, components, types and functions of the ecosystem in
    the notes provided below.

    Structure of the Ecosystem


    The structure of an ecosystem is characterised by the organisation of both biotic and
    abiotic components. This includes the distribution of energy in our environment. It also
    includes the climatic conditions prevailing in that particular environment.
    The structure of an ecosystem can be split into two main components, namely:

     Biotic Components
     Abiotic Components
    The biotic and abiotic components are interrelated in an ecosystem. It is an open system
    where the energy and components can flow throughout the boundaries.

    Biotic Components
    Biotic components refer to all living components in an ecosystem.  Based on nutrition,
    biotic components can be categorised into autotrophs, heterotrophs and saprotrophs (or
    decomposers).

     Producers include all autotrophs such as plants. They are called autotrophs as


    they can produce food through the process of photosynthesis. Consequently, all
    other organisms higher up on the food chain rely on producers for food.
     Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for
    food. Consumers are further classified into primary consumers, secondary
    consumers and tertiary consumers.

     Primary consumers are always herbivores as they rely on producers for


    food.
     Secondary consumers depend on primary consumers for energy. They can
    either be carnivores or omnivores.
     Tertiary consumers are organisms that depend on secondary consumers
    for food.  Tertiary consumers can also be carnivores or omnivores.

     Quaternary consumers are present in some food chains. These organisms


    prey on tertiary consumers for energy. Furthermore, they are usually at the
    top of a food chain as they have no natural predators.
    Decomposers include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive on
    the dead and decaying organic matter.  Decomposers are essential for the
    ecosystem as they help in recycling nutrients to be reused by plants.

    Abiotic Components
    Abiotic components are the non-living component of an ecosystem.  It includes air,
    water, soil, minerals, sunlight, temperature, nutrients, wind, altitude, turbidity, etc.

    Functions of Ecosystem
    The functions of the ecosystem are as follows:

    1.
    1. It regulates the essential ecological processes, supports life systems and
    renders stability.
    2. It is also responsible for the cycling of nutrients between biotic and abiotic
    components.
    3. It maintains a balance among the various trophic levels in the ecosystem.
    4. It cycles the minerals through the biosphere.
    5. The abiotic components help in the synthesis of organic components that
    involve the exchange of energy.
    So the functional units of an ecosystem or functional components that work together in
    an ecosystem are:

     Productivity – It refers to the rate of biomass production.


     Energy flow – It is the sequential process through which energy flows from one
    trophic level to another. The energy captured from the sun flows from producers
    to consumers and then to decomposers and finally back to the environment.
     Decomposition – It is the process of breakdown of dead organic material. The top-
    soil is the major site for decomposition.
     Nutrient cycling – In an ecosystem nutrients are consumed and recycled back in
    various forms for the utilisation by various organisms.

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