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All living organism, whether plant or animal or human being is surrounded by the
environment, on which it derive its needs for its survival.
Each living component interacts with non-living components for their basic requirements
form different ecosystem.
Definition
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). Or Ecology is the study of ecosystems.
Ecosystem
Ecosystem is the basic functional unit of ecology. The term ecosystem is coined form a
Greek word meaning study of home.
Definition:
Example
Animals cannot synthesis their food directly but depend on the plants either directly or
indirectly.
TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
- Natural ecosystem
Natural ecosystems operate themselves under natural conditions. Based on habitat types,
it can be further classified into three types.
1. Terrestrial ecosystem
2. Aquatic ecosystem
This ecosystem is related to water. It is further sub classified into two types based on salt
contents
The term structure refers to the various components. So the structure of an ecosystem
explains the relationship between the abiotic (non-living) and the biotic (living)
components.
Biotic components
The living organisms (or) living members in an ecosystem collectively form its community
called biotic components (or) biotic community.
Examples
•Plants (producers),
animals (consumers),
microorganisms (decomposers).
The members of biotic components of an ecosystem are grouped in to three based on how
they get food.
•Producer (plants)
•Consumer (Animals)
•Decomposers (Micro-organisms)
1.Procedures (Autotrophs)
The green pigments called chlorophyll, present in the leaves of plants, converts CO₂ and
H₂O in the presence of sunlight into carbohydrates.
2.Consumers (heterotrophs)
Classification of consumers
Primary consumers are also called herbivores, they directly depend on the plants for their
food. So they are called plant eaters.
Examples: Insects, rat, goat, deer, cow, horse, etc., Chemistry, AEC Salem
Tertiary consumers are secondary carnivores, they feed on secondary consumers. They
depend on the primary carnivores for their food.
3. Decomposers
Decomposers attack the dead bodies of producers and consumers and decompose them
into simpler compounds. During the decomposition Inorganic nutrients are released.
The inorganic nutrients together with other organic substances are then utilized by the
procedures for the synthesis of their own food.
1. Physical components
They include the energy, climate, raw materials and living space that the biological
community needs. They are useful for the growth and maintenance of its member.
Examples: Air, water, soil, sunlight, etc., V.S Saravana Mani, Head & AP Chemistry, AEC
Salern
2. Chemical Components
They are the sources of essential nutrients
Examples
•Inorganic substances: All micro (Al, Co, Zu, Cu) and macro elements (C,H, O, P, N, P, K)
and few other elements.
FUNCTION OF AN ECOSYSTEM
Types of Functions
1. Primary function
2. Secondary function
The secondary function of all ecosystem is distribution energy in the form of food to all
consumers.
Tertiary Function
All living systems diet at a particular stage. These dead systems are decomposed to initiate
third function of ecosystems namely “cycling”.
•Food chains
•Food webs
•Food pyramids
Some amount of chemical energy is used by the plants for their growth and the remaining is
transferred to consumers by the process of eating.
Thus the energy enters the ecosystems through photosynthesis and passes through the
different tropic levels feeding levels.