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1. COMPONENTS OF
ECOSYSTEM

2. INTRODUCTION:
• Relationship between organisms and other life supporting systems of its environment
refers to the ecosystem. This term was first time used in 20th century by TANSELY.
• Ecosystem could be natural or artificial. It could be aquatic or terrestrial. natural
ecosystem includes lakes, deserts, oceans; while artificial ecosystem include gardens and
national parks.
• Natural ecosystems can be separated by certain geographical barriers such as
mountains, rivers, deserts. as a result the whole earth is considered as biosphere.

3. BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS
• This energy is utilize ultimate source of energy in ecosystem is sunlight .once this energy is
utilized and fixed by other organisms, heat is released back into the space as output.
• Each ecosystem has different type of physical and biological factors that interact with each
other in specific habitat.
• Ecosystem is categorized by a set of biotic, abiotic factors ,related functions and processes.
• Biotic components include all living organism ,animals, plants bacteria etc.

4.  Biotic components are divided into four major categories:
• Producers
• Consumers
• Transformers
• Decomposers
Producers:
Autotrophs are called producers. They contain green pigment called “chlorophyll” for the manufacturing of food
in the presence of sunlight by a process known as photosynthesis using CO2 and H2O as a raw material. Algae and
grasses are called "phytoplankton” in aquatic ecosystems while large trees and plants are producers in terrestrial
ecosystems.

5. Consumers:
They are the second category and lack chlorophyll , so ultimately depends upon producers for their food.
They are also known as heterotrophs. They further have sub-classes:
• Primary Consumers:
They are first level consumers and known as herbivors.Animal species include in the sub-class feed in the
primary producers 9plants0.In case of terrestrial ecosystem, common examples are castles birds and
insects. While in case of aquatic ecosystems, small fishes and other invertebrates are included.
• Secondary Consumers:
They contains animals which feed on other animal's flesh and are called carnivores. For example cats, dogs
etc. Other animals may feed on both plants as well as animals so they are called omnivores includes man,
bear, crow etc.
• Tertiary Consumers:
These are called predators and large carnivores that feed on secondary consumers. Examples are owls,
wolves etc.

6. • QUATERNARY CONSUMERS:
They are the largest carnivores which feed on primary, secondary and tertiary consumers
and are not eaten by any other animals. Examples are polar bears and sharks.
Transformers:
They attack on waste materials of dead plants and animals and transform them either into
organic or inorganic materials for fulfilling their requirements. Fewer bacteria types are
included in this class.
Decomposers:
They are also known as saprophytes or micro consumers. They break down dead plants
into simple organic matters by specific digestive enzymes. These invertebrates are called
secondary decomposers.

7. INTERACTION BETWEEN BIOTIC
COMPONENTS:
• There are four main types of interaction between biotic components of an ecosystem:
• Predation, parasitism and herbivory In the interactions ,one organism is benefited while other gets negatively affected.
• Competition-both organisms are negatively affected in some way.
• Commensalism-one is benefitted while other neither harmed nor gains.
• Mutualism-Both organisms gets benefit from their interactions.
Following are some examples of these interactions:
• Red fox and hare are the best examples of predator-prey dynamics The hares consumes grasses and the red fox predates the
hares.

8. • In commensalism is difficult to find wither other animal benefited or harmed.
• For example, remora fish ride other fish and sharks and then eat their leftover food. This
interaction would be classes as competitive if remora fought their hosts for food instead of
waiting until they were finished.
• Plants with birds or butterfly pollinators are good examples of mutualistic interactions. The
butterflies and the birds pollinators benefit as they get a delicious nectar meal.

9. ABIOTIC COMPONENTS OF ECOSYSTEMS:
• They includes all non-living components of environment. They are categorized into three main
classes:
1. Climate and physical factors
2. Inorganic substances
3. Organic substances
• AIR ,water ,soil and geomorphic conditions are included in climate and physical factors.
• Inorganic substances include elements like carbon, Sulphur etc.
• Organic substances includes all essential nutritional compounds like proteins, lipids.

10. • The life of any living organism is determined by the availability of all these factors. Major factors
that are essential for survival are sunlight, water and oxygen.
• Sunlight is critical for photosynthesis and has a major role in growth and development of life.
• Water is essential component of body of living organisms.
• Temperature-all living organ isms can survive up to certain range of temperature called optimum
temperature. If temperature conditions changed, it is difficult for the organisms to survive because
the enzymes stop working .
• Oxygen-it is necessary for the metabolic process and cellular respiration.
• Soil-there are many factors which decides that either an organism can better live in or on the soil.

11. INTERACTION BETWEEN BIOTIC AND
ABIOTIC FACTORS:
• They can broadly interact with each other. Sunlight provides energy in the form of heat that
plants utilize to grow. Air also interacts with plants and helps them in grow.
• In general, they interact each other by providing nutrients' water and carbon cycles are the
examples of this. They often change the geology and geography of an area. Geologically
,organisms create top soils by breaking down rock layers and dying, which provide detritus with
which to form new soil and return nutrients to the ground.

12. ECOSYSTEM AND RELATED PROCESS:
1-water cycle:
• water is the most abundant molecule on earth.it is the only molecule which can be occur
naturally in all three possible states of matter. The water which evaporates is transported by the
air circulation. When water droplets rise over the mountains, it cools and becomes rain.
2-nutrient cycle:
• A nutrient cycle means the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back in to
the production of living matter. Nutrient cycle includes various other cycles such as water,
carbon cycles etc. The flow of energy is unidirectional and pathway is non-cyclic.

13. FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB
• Organisms are connected with each other for food giving rise to food chain .different type of food chains
combined and form food web.
• Food manufactured by producers flow towards primary consumers then to tertiary giving rise to various
stages .each stage is represented by trophic level.
• Food chains are further divided into three types:
1. Grazing food chain
2. Desert food chain
3. Detritus food chin

14. GRAZING FOOD CHAIN
• This chain start from producer then to primary grazing consumer and finally towards
carnivores.
• Basically this chain moves from phytoplankton to zooplankton.
• This food chain is also known as predator food chain.

15. DESERT FOOD CHAIN
• Main producers of desert are date palms ,acacia, cactus etc.
• Primary level consumers are desert camels and other herbivores.
• Hyna, cat and fox are secondary consumers.
• Decomposers include desert mushrooms and fungi.

16. DETRITUS FOOD CHAIN
• Here is the maximum utilization of energy and minimum wastage of available material .
• This chain begins with dead organic matter the flow of energy is slow but amount of energy is
high .
• There is no other consumer between organic matter and decomposer.

17. FLOW OF ENERGY
• The energy flow in ecosystem is also called calorific flow,which means flow of energy through different
chains.
• Almost 90% of energy is lost in the form of heat.
• 10% is utilized by primary consumer,1% utilized by secondary consumer.
• Tertiary consumer get only 0.1% of total energy.

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