The document discusses key concepts in ecosystems including types of ecosystems (natural vs artificial), components (biotic and abiotic), food chains and webs, and ecological pyramids. It explains that ecosystems are defined as the living and non-living interactions in an environment. Natural ecosystems include terrestrial and aquatic, while artificial ones are human-made like agriculture. Food chains transfer energy from producers to consumers to decomposers, forming webs, and pyramids illustrate the relationships between trophic levels in terms of numbers, biomass, and energy.

1. ECOSYSTEMS
• The living community of plants and animals in
any area together with the non-living
components of the environment such as
soil, water, air constitute the ecosystem.
• TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM :
1.NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS.
2.ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEMS.

2. • NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS :
(a)Terrestrial
(b) Aquatic includes freshwater and marine
water.
• 2.ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEMS.
These include agriculture and aquaculture
which are human engineered.

3. COMPONENTS OF ECOSYSTEM
1.BIOTIC 2. ABIOTIC
BIOTIC COMPONENTS :
(a) Producers/Autotrophs.
(b) Consumers: primary,secondary,tertiary
(c) Decomposers/saprophytes.
ABIOTIC COMPONENTS : These include the
non-living components of the environment
such as light, temperature, humidity
, water, soil.

4. • Plant insect frog
(producer) (primary consumer)
(secondary consumer) Snake
(tertiary consumer) Eagle
(decomposers) Microbes

5. FOOD CHAINS
The transfer of food energy from
producers, through series of consumers
(herbivores and carnivores) to decomposers with
repeated eating and being eaten is known as food
chain.
• FUNCTIONS :
-flow of energy of the ecosystem.
-flow of nutrients.
-flow of biomass.

6. DEMERIT OF FOOD CHAIN
Along with the nutrients, biomass and energy
it also transports toxic substances from one
organism to another which finally leads to the
BIOMAGNIFICATION.
DDT was banned due to its harmful effects on
birds. It hindered the formation of egg shells.

7. FOOD WEB
The inter-linking of different food chains with
one another forms a food web.

8. Trees,grasses,vegetation
Grasshopper Rabbit Mouse
Lizard Snake
Hawk
Decomposers

9. ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID
The relationship between producers
(autotrophs), herbivore and carnivores at
successive trophic levels in terms of their
number, biomass and energy present at any
one time in the level.
TYPES :
(a) Pyramid of numbers
(b) Pyramid of biomass
(c) Pyramid of energy

10. HAWKS
SNAKE, LIZARD
RABBIT, GRASSHOPP
ER
GRASSLANDS
PYRAMID OF NUMBERS FOR GRASSLANDS

11. LIONS,
TIGERS
SNAKES,BEERS,
WOLF
ALL ANIMALS DEPENDING
UPON TREES
TREES
PYRAMID OF NUMBERS FOR FOREST
ECOSYSTEM

12. PARASITES
ALL HERBIVORES
PLANTS
PYRAMID OF NUMBERS FOR PARASITIC FOODCHAIN

13. CARN
IVOR
ES
HERBIVORES
PRODUCERS
PYRAMID OF BIOMASS FOR FORESTS/GRASSLANDS

14. LARGE FISH
SMALL FISH
PHYTO
PLANKTON
PYRAMID OF BIOMASS FOR AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEM

15. CARNIVORE
S
HERBIVORES
PRODUCERS
PYRAMID OF ENERGY