This document discusses ecosystems and their structure and functions. It defines an ecosystem as including all living organisms and non-living components found in a particular area, where life continues naturally without human intervention. An ecosystem structurally consists of a community of living organisms and their abiotic environment. Key components include producers, consumers, and decomposers. Energy flows through ecosystems via food chains and webs. Nutrients cycle through biogeochemical cycles like carbon and nitrogen. Ecosystems strive for homeostasis by resisting changes to their populations.
This document discusses various types of ecosystems and their components. It begins by defining an ecosystem as a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. It then describes three major classes of ecosystems: freshwater, terrestrial, and oceanic. Each section provides details on the characteristics and examples of ecosystems within these classes. The document also discusses abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems, including producers, consumers, decomposers, and food chains/webs. It focuses specifically on carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles, as well as symbiotic, parasitic, predatory, and competitive relationships between organisms within ecosystems.
Species diversity is defined as the number of different species present in an ecosystem and their relative abundances. There are two components of species diversity: species richness, which is the number of different species present, and species evenness, which is how similar the abundances of each species are. Tropical rainforests and coral reefs have very high species diversity due to favorable environmental conditions that allow for many specialized species and resilience to disturbances. However, human activities like habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, and extinctions are major threats and causing accelerated extinction rates. Conservation efforts focus on both in-situ and ex-situ methods to protect biodiversity.
The document discusses the need for eco cities due to increasing urbanization and its environmental impacts. It defines an eco city as one that is built according to principles of environmental sustainability by eliminating carbon waste, using renewable energy, and incorporating the natural environment. The concept of the eco city was developed in the 1970s by the organization Urban Ecology, founded by Richard Register in Berkeley, California, to reconstruct cities in balance with nature. The ideal eco city minimizes its environmental impact through reduced emissions, renewable resources, green transportation, high quality air/water, and protection of habitats while also supporting a strong economy.
This document provides an overview of ecological concepts and principles of ecosystems. It defines ecology and describes the basic units of ecological systems from protoplasm to the biosphere. Key concepts discussed include populations, communities, ecosystems, food webs, and the abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. Four principles of ecosystems are outlined: everything is related, everything must go somewhere, nature knows best, and there is no free lunch. Factors affecting ecosystems and environmental health are also summarized.
SUSTAINABILITY IN SETTLEMENT DESIGN
Principles of sustainable settlements. Morphology of historic/vernacular settlements in different
climatic zones through case studies. Sustainable community - social, cultural and economic factors.
Urban ecology, urban heat island effects, smog etc. Case studies of eco city or communities.
The document discusses the search for sustainable cities over time. It explores ideas from early thinkers like Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities, Patrick Geddes' concept of viewing the city as a whole, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City. More modern approaches included Ian McHarg's design with nature, Chris Canfield's symbiotic communities, and Michael Corbett's ecological village homes. The document also examines permaculture cities, transit-oriented new urbanism, compact and regenerative cities, and cities with circular metabolisms and green infrastructure. It concludes that sustainable cities integrate nature and community, do not exceed environmental limits, and are holistic, diverse, and regenerative systems.
The document discusses two invasive alien species: Liriomyza trifolii (American serpentine leaf miner) and Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly). L. trifolii originated in North America and has a wide host range of over 29 plant families. It can develop up to 32 generations per year in tropical areas. C. capitata is native to sub-Saharan Africa and has spread globally through the transport of infested fruits. As a highly polyphagous species, its larvae develop in many fruits including citrus, mangoes, and coffee. Standard control methods for both pests include the use of insecticides and sterile insect techniques.
This document discusses various types of ecosystems and their components. It begins by defining an ecosystem as a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. It then describes three major classes of ecosystems: freshwater, terrestrial, and oceanic. Each section provides details on the characteristics and examples of ecosystems within these classes. The document also discusses abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems, including producers, consumers, decomposers, and food chains/webs. It focuses specifically on carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles, as well as symbiotic, parasitic, predatory, and competitive relationships between organisms within ecosystems.
Species diversity is defined as the number of different species present in an ecosystem and their relative abundances. There are two components of species diversity: species richness, which is the number of different species present, and species evenness, which is how similar the abundances of each species are. Tropical rainforests and coral reefs have very high species diversity due to favorable environmental conditions that allow for many specialized species and resilience to disturbances. However, human activities like habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, and extinctions are major threats and causing accelerated extinction rates. Conservation efforts focus on both in-situ and ex-situ methods to protect biodiversity.
The document discusses the need for eco cities due to increasing urbanization and its environmental impacts. It defines an eco city as one that is built according to principles of environmental sustainability by eliminating carbon waste, using renewable energy, and incorporating the natural environment. The concept of the eco city was developed in the 1970s by the organization Urban Ecology, founded by Richard Register in Berkeley, California, to reconstruct cities in balance with nature. The ideal eco city minimizes its environmental impact through reduced emissions, renewable resources, green transportation, high quality air/water, and protection of habitats while also supporting a strong economy.
This document provides an overview of ecological concepts and principles of ecosystems. It defines ecology and describes the basic units of ecological systems from protoplasm to the biosphere. Key concepts discussed include populations, communities, ecosystems, food webs, and the abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. Four principles of ecosystems are outlined: everything is related, everything must go somewhere, nature knows best, and there is no free lunch. Factors affecting ecosystems and environmental health are also summarized.
SUSTAINABILITY IN SETTLEMENT DESIGN
Principles of sustainable settlements. Morphology of historic/vernacular settlements in different
climatic zones through case studies. Sustainable community - social, cultural and economic factors.
Urban ecology, urban heat island effects, smog etc. Case studies of eco city or communities.
The document discusses the search for sustainable cities over time. It explores ideas from early thinkers like Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities, Patrick Geddes' concept of viewing the city as a whole, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City. More modern approaches included Ian McHarg's design with nature, Chris Canfield's symbiotic communities, and Michael Corbett's ecological village homes. The document also examines permaculture cities, transit-oriented new urbanism, compact and regenerative cities, and cities with circular metabolisms and green infrastructure. It concludes that sustainable cities integrate nature and community, do not exceed environmental limits, and are holistic, diverse, and regenerative systems.
The document discusses two invasive alien species: Liriomyza trifolii (American serpentine leaf miner) and Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly). L. trifolii originated in North America and has a wide host range of over 29 plant families. It can develop up to 32 generations per year in tropical areas. C. capitata is native to sub-Saharan Africa and has spread globally through the transport of infested fruits. As a highly polyphagous species, its larvae develop in many fruits including citrus, mangoes, and coffee. Standard control methods for both pests include the use of insecticides and sterile insect techniques.
This document provides an overview of key concepts in ecology and environmental biology, including:
1) It defines ecology as the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
2) It describes producers, consumers, food chains, food webs, and trophic levels within ecosystems.
3) It explains ecological pyramids and how energy and biomass decrease at higher trophic levels.
4) It outlines ecological interactions like competition, predation, and the three types of symbiosis - mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Urban ecology is the study of the relationship between living and non-living components of human-settled environments. It examines how human influences impact plant and animal populations in cities, and how urban ecosystems provide functions that support human populations. Urban ecology also considers the interactions between biophysical forces and socio-economic aspects of cities. It aims to quantify energy, material, and nutrient flows needed to sustain urban systems. Key analytical tools used in urban ecology include systems flow diagramming, environmental gradient analysis, correlation analysis, footprint analysis, and emergy analysis. These tools help evaluate cities' socio-ecological metabolism and trade-offs between alternative development choices.
Climate change refers to changes in global or regional climate patterns attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by human use of fossil fuels. The impacts of climate change include more extreme drought, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and more frequent natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires. Actions that can be taken to address climate change involve reducing carbon emissions through use of renewable energy, electrified transportation, energy efficiency and combating deforestation.
This document discusses various environmental issues. It begins by defining environmental issues as those created by human activities that can harm the environment. Major issues discussed include overpopulation, hydrological issues, nuclear issues, land use issues, intensive farming/agriculture, climate change, environmental health hazards, and environmental pollution/degradation. Each issue is then defined and its impacts on the environment are described. The document provides an overview of key environmental problems resulting from human activities.
Natural ecosystems provide numerous ecosystem services that are essential to human well-being and economic activity. These services include provisioning services like food, fiber, fuel and medicines; regulating services like climate regulation, flood and drought mitigation, soil formation, and pest control; and cultural services like inspiration, recreation, and spiritual fulfillment. However, many of these services are being degraded or lost due to human activities like habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution, and climate change. Properly valuing ecosystem services and incorporating their value into policy and economic decisions is crucial for ensuring their continued supply for future generations.
The document discusses informal settlements and defines key terms. It defines a slum according to the UN and an Indian committee as areas with inadequate access to water, sanitation, housing, and overcrowding. It contrasts formal vs informal, with informal meaning unofficial, unregulated, and part of everyday life. It proposes that informal settlements should be viewed as part of the "everyday city" and discusses aspects of the everyday city, including how architects can study and engage with informal areas. It provides different frameworks for understanding informal settlements, such as through communities, social structures, individual experiences, and networks of people and things.
Until two decades ago the world looked at economic status alone as a measure of human development.
Thus countries that were economically well developed and where people were relatively richer were called advanced nations while the rest where poverty was widespread and was economically backwards were called developing countries.
Most countries of North America and Europe which had become industrialized at an earlier stage have become economically more advanced.
They not only exploited their own natural resources rapidly but also used the natural resources of developing countries to grow even larger economies.
Thus the way development progressed, the rich countries got richer while the poor nations got poorer.
poorer.
However, even the developed world has begun to realize that their lives were being seriously affected by the environmental consequences of development based on economic growth alone.
This form of development did not add to the quality of life as the environmental conditions had begun to deteriorate.
By the 1970s most development specialists began to appreciate the fact that economic growth alone could not bring about a better way of life for people unless environmental conditions were improved.
Development strategies in which only economic considerations were used, had begun to suffer from serious environmental problems due to air and water pollution, waste management, deforestation and a variety of other ill effects that seriously affected peoples’ well being and health.
1) Energy from the sun powers photosynthesis in green plants, which convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into glucose.
2) This chemical energy from glucose is transferred through ecosystems as organisms eat each other, forming food chains.
3) Producers like plants capture energy from the sun which is then consumed by primary consumers like herbivores, and passed up through secondary and tertiary consumers in a trophic pyramid, with decomposers recycling nutrients.
In this persentation I give a short description about ecology and the history of it. I also show the ecological crisis as well as environmental situation for ethical and social awareness.
Role of Urban Areas in Biodiversity ConservationManoj Neupane
This document discusses the role of urban areas in biodiversity conservation. It outlines that while urbanization is resulting in biodiversity loss, urban areas can still play an important role by providing corridors and stepping stones for wildlife migration. When urban areas incorporate green spaces like parks, gardens, and street trees, they generate diverse habitats that support many plant and animal species. The document reviews global practices of integrating biodiversity considerations into urban planning and provides examples of biodiversity initiatives taken in urban parks in Nepal. It argues that with proper planning, urbanization need not threaten biodiversity and that cities provide opportunities to conserve nature.
Sustainable Development Webinar Series: SD 101EOTO World
This webinar provided an overview of sustainable development and how youth can get involved. It defined sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. Sustainable development involves balancing environmental protection, economic growth, and social equality. The webinar discussed the three pillars of sustainable development - environment, economy and society. It emphasized that youth have an important role to play by advocating for sustainable policies that will shape their future. The webinar equipped participants with talking points about sustainable development and tips for spreading awareness to others.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems. There are three main types of biodiversity: genetic diversity within species, species diversity between ecosystems, and ecosystem diversity across landscapes. Maintaining biodiversity is important as each species and ecosystem provides vital services like food, medicine, stable climate, water purification and more, with global economic value estimated at $16.54 trillion annually. Loss of any species or ecosystem impacts these services and reduces nature's ability to adapt over time.
Ecotone and edge effects & ecological successionRoxette Layosa
This document discusses ecotones, edge effects, and ecological succession. It defines an ecotone as the transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities. Edge effects refer to changes in populations or communities that occur at habitat boundaries, allowing for greater biodiversity. Ecological succession is the process by which a biological community evolves over time, occurring through primary succession on new habitats or secondary succession on previously disturbed habitats. Succession proceeds toward a climax community that is stable and balanced for the local climate and soil conditions.
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. The components of ecology include abiotic (non-living) factors like temperature and biotic (living) factors like other organisms. A niche describes an organism's role and interactions within its ecosystem, including how it meets its needs. Relationships between organisms in an ecosystem can be symbiotic like mutualism, or involve one organism benefiting more than the other like parasitism or commensalism. Natural selection leads to evolution as organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on those traits, changing the gene frequency in a population over time. Speciation occurs when reproductive isolation splits one species into two distinct species.
Global cities play a central role in the processes of globalization as centers of global operations where the effects of these activities are most visible. They are primary nodes in the global economic network and are characterized by concentrations of wealth, growing disconnection from their regions, and large marginalized populations. Global cities act as hubs for international finance, trade, media and innovation and have high percentages of residents employed in services and information sectors. Increased globalization has led to centralization of production in urban centers, driving increases in global cities despite criticisms that they neglect domestic economies and cities within nations.
The document discusses arguments for protecting biodiversity from both an intrinsic and anthropocentric perspective. The intrinsic view is that biodiversity has value regardless of its benefits to humans, as all species are part of the evolutionary process. The anthropocentric view is that biodiversity provides economic, aesthetic, recreational, and insurance benefits to humans through ecosystem services like climate regulation and soil formation. Both perspectives aim to protect biodiversity, though they stem from different philosophies around nature's value. The document examines these arguments but leaves the conclusions open to the reader's interpretation.
This Presentation is about the various types of ecosystem which is present in our environment.....It is also for students who are interested in this topic
The Ecosystem - Its Structure and function plays a key role in the sustenance of Life on this Earth. Be it land, air, water .... the ecosystem decides the survival ...
This document provides an overview of key concepts in ecology and environmental biology, including:
1) It defines ecology as the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
2) It describes producers, consumers, food chains, food webs, and trophic levels within ecosystems.
3) It explains ecological pyramids and how energy and biomass decrease at higher trophic levels.
4) It outlines ecological interactions like competition, predation, and the three types of symbiosis - mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Urban ecology is the study of the relationship between living and non-living components of human-settled environments. It examines how human influences impact plant and animal populations in cities, and how urban ecosystems provide functions that support human populations. Urban ecology also considers the interactions between biophysical forces and socio-economic aspects of cities. It aims to quantify energy, material, and nutrient flows needed to sustain urban systems. Key analytical tools used in urban ecology include systems flow diagramming, environmental gradient analysis, correlation analysis, footprint analysis, and emergy analysis. These tools help evaluate cities' socio-ecological metabolism and trade-offs between alternative development choices.
Climate change refers to changes in global or regional climate patterns attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by human use of fossil fuels. The impacts of climate change include more extreme drought, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and more frequent natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires. Actions that can be taken to address climate change involve reducing carbon emissions through use of renewable energy, electrified transportation, energy efficiency and combating deforestation.
This document discusses various environmental issues. It begins by defining environmental issues as those created by human activities that can harm the environment. Major issues discussed include overpopulation, hydrological issues, nuclear issues, land use issues, intensive farming/agriculture, climate change, environmental health hazards, and environmental pollution/degradation. Each issue is then defined and its impacts on the environment are described. The document provides an overview of key environmental problems resulting from human activities.
Natural ecosystems provide numerous ecosystem services that are essential to human well-being and economic activity. These services include provisioning services like food, fiber, fuel and medicines; regulating services like climate regulation, flood and drought mitigation, soil formation, and pest control; and cultural services like inspiration, recreation, and spiritual fulfillment. However, many of these services are being degraded or lost due to human activities like habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution, and climate change. Properly valuing ecosystem services and incorporating their value into policy and economic decisions is crucial for ensuring their continued supply for future generations.
The document discusses informal settlements and defines key terms. It defines a slum according to the UN and an Indian committee as areas with inadequate access to water, sanitation, housing, and overcrowding. It contrasts formal vs informal, with informal meaning unofficial, unregulated, and part of everyday life. It proposes that informal settlements should be viewed as part of the "everyday city" and discusses aspects of the everyday city, including how architects can study and engage with informal areas. It provides different frameworks for understanding informal settlements, such as through communities, social structures, individual experiences, and networks of people and things.
Until two decades ago the world looked at economic status alone as a measure of human development.
Thus countries that were economically well developed and where people were relatively richer were called advanced nations while the rest where poverty was widespread and was economically backwards were called developing countries.
Most countries of North America and Europe which had become industrialized at an earlier stage have become economically more advanced.
They not only exploited their own natural resources rapidly but also used the natural resources of developing countries to grow even larger economies.
Thus the way development progressed, the rich countries got richer while the poor nations got poorer.
poorer.
However, even the developed world has begun to realize that their lives were being seriously affected by the environmental consequences of development based on economic growth alone.
This form of development did not add to the quality of life as the environmental conditions had begun to deteriorate.
By the 1970s most development specialists began to appreciate the fact that economic growth alone could not bring about a better way of life for people unless environmental conditions were improved.
Development strategies in which only economic considerations were used, had begun to suffer from serious environmental problems due to air and water pollution, waste management, deforestation and a variety of other ill effects that seriously affected peoples’ well being and health.
1) Energy from the sun powers photosynthesis in green plants, which convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into glucose.
2) This chemical energy from glucose is transferred through ecosystems as organisms eat each other, forming food chains.
3) Producers like plants capture energy from the sun which is then consumed by primary consumers like herbivores, and passed up through secondary and tertiary consumers in a trophic pyramid, with decomposers recycling nutrients.
In this persentation I give a short description about ecology and the history of it. I also show the ecological crisis as well as environmental situation for ethical and social awareness.
Role of Urban Areas in Biodiversity ConservationManoj Neupane
This document discusses the role of urban areas in biodiversity conservation. It outlines that while urbanization is resulting in biodiversity loss, urban areas can still play an important role by providing corridors and stepping stones for wildlife migration. When urban areas incorporate green spaces like parks, gardens, and street trees, they generate diverse habitats that support many plant and animal species. The document reviews global practices of integrating biodiversity considerations into urban planning and provides examples of biodiversity initiatives taken in urban parks in Nepal. It argues that with proper planning, urbanization need not threaten biodiversity and that cities provide opportunities to conserve nature.
Sustainable Development Webinar Series: SD 101EOTO World
This webinar provided an overview of sustainable development and how youth can get involved. It defined sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. Sustainable development involves balancing environmental protection, economic growth, and social equality. The webinar discussed the three pillars of sustainable development - environment, economy and society. It emphasized that youth have an important role to play by advocating for sustainable policies that will shape their future. The webinar equipped participants with talking points about sustainable development and tips for spreading awareness to others.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems. There are three main types of biodiversity: genetic diversity within species, species diversity between ecosystems, and ecosystem diversity across landscapes. Maintaining biodiversity is important as each species and ecosystem provides vital services like food, medicine, stable climate, water purification and more, with global economic value estimated at $16.54 trillion annually. Loss of any species or ecosystem impacts these services and reduces nature's ability to adapt over time.
Ecotone and edge effects & ecological successionRoxette Layosa
This document discusses ecotones, edge effects, and ecological succession. It defines an ecotone as the transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities. Edge effects refer to changes in populations or communities that occur at habitat boundaries, allowing for greater biodiversity. Ecological succession is the process by which a biological community evolves over time, occurring through primary succession on new habitats or secondary succession on previously disturbed habitats. Succession proceeds toward a climax community that is stable and balanced for the local climate and soil conditions.
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. The components of ecology include abiotic (non-living) factors like temperature and biotic (living) factors like other organisms. A niche describes an organism's role and interactions within its ecosystem, including how it meets its needs. Relationships between organisms in an ecosystem can be symbiotic like mutualism, or involve one organism benefiting more than the other like parasitism or commensalism. Natural selection leads to evolution as organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on those traits, changing the gene frequency in a population over time. Speciation occurs when reproductive isolation splits one species into two distinct species.
Global cities play a central role in the processes of globalization as centers of global operations where the effects of these activities are most visible. They are primary nodes in the global economic network and are characterized by concentrations of wealth, growing disconnection from their regions, and large marginalized populations. Global cities act as hubs for international finance, trade, media and innovation and have high percentages of residents employed in services and information sectors. Increased globalization has led to centralization of production in urban centers, driving increases in global cities despite criticisms that they neglect domestic economies and cities within nations.
The document discusses arguments for protecting biodiversity from both an intrinsic and anthropocentric perspective. The intrinsic view is that biodiversity has value regardless of its benefits to humans, as all species are part of the evolutionary process. The anthropocentric view is that biodiversity provides economic, aesthetic, recreational, and insurance benefits to humans through ecosystem services like climate regulation and soil formation. Both perspectives aim to protect biodiversity, though they stem from different philosophies around nature's value. The document examines these arguments but leaves the conclusions open to the reader's interpretation.
This Presentation is about the various types of ecosystem which is present in our environment.....It is also for students who are interested in this topic
The Ecosystem - Its Structure and function plays a key role in the sustenance of Life on this Earth. Be it land, air, water .... the ecosystem decides the survival ...
This document provides an overview of ecology and ecosystems. It defines ecology as the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. The key components of ecosystems discussed include producers, consumers, decomposers, trophic levels, food chains, food webs, and biogeochemical cycles. Specific cycles explained in detail are the water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles which describe how these essential elements move between living and nonliving parts of the environment.
An ecosystem is defined as a natural functional unit comprising living organisms and their non-living environment interacting to form a stable system. The key components of an ecosystem are biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Energy from the sun is captured by producers like plants through photosynthesis and transferred through consumers and decomposers in a food chain or food web. Nutrients and matter cycle between biotic and abiotic components. Ecological pyramids illustrate the transfer of energy and matter between trophic levels, with fewer organisms and more biomass at higher levels due to energy losses between levels.
environment , ecosystem and biodiversityNaveen Prabhu
This document provides an overview of environmental science and engineering concepts including the environment, ecosystems, and biodiversity. It defines key terms like environment, natural environment, man-made environment, abiotic components, biotic components, and energy components. It also describes the structure and functions of the atmosphere. Critical ecosystem concepts are explained like biome, producers, consumers, decomposers, energy flow, nutrient cycles, ecological succession, food chains, food webs, trophic levels, and ecological pyramids. Different types of ecosystems are classified as terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems.
This document provides an overview of ecosystems, including:
1. The definition of an ecosystem as the structural and functional unit of ecology encompassing the interaction between biotic and abiotic components.
2. The key characteristics, structure, and functions of ecosystems, such as energy flow, nutrient cycling, and trophic levels.
3. Details on primary productivity, decomposition, and the flow of energy through food chains and webs within ecosystems.
The document is intended for educational purposes and provides information compiled from various sources on the basic concepts of ecosystems.
Ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. Key points from the document include:
- Ecology provides the scientific foundations for fields like agriculture and helps predict environmental impacts.
- Ecosystems consist of biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components that interact. Energy from the sun flows through food chains/webs between organisms, while nutrients are recycled through biochemical cycles.
- Pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy are used to quantify energy and nutrient transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem. The pyramids typically decrease at higher trophic levels due to inefficiencies in energy transfer between levels.
Est ch.3 ecosystem and biodiversity part1,2,3Meghana Wagh
This document provides information about an Environmental Studies course covering ecosystems and biodiversity. It discusses key topics like the definition of an ecosystem, its structural and functional aspects, producers and consumers, energy flow and nutrient cycles. It also defines biodiversity and describes the different levels and value of biodiversity. Some of the major threats to biodiversity like habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species and co-extinction are outlined. Important biodiversity hotspots in India like the Western Ghats, Himalayas and Indo-Burma region are identified along with reasons for their endangered status. The document is meant to inform students about important concepts and issues related to ecosystems and biodiversity conservation.
Ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. Key topics covered in the document include:
- Ecology examines how organisms interact with each other and their physical surroundings.
- Energy from the sun is transferred through food chains and webs, decreasing at each trophic level. Nutrients also cycle through ecosystems via decomposition.
- Ecological pyramids illustrate the transfer of numbers, biomass, and energy between trophic levels, with higher levels generally containing fewer and less biomass/energy.
Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Key topics in ecology include the components of ecosystems like producers, consumers, and decomposers; trophic structure and food webs; nutrient and energy cycling; and major ecosystem types such as forests, grasslands, aquatic systems, and deserts. Ecosystems can be classified based on their environment, study area, or level of human impact. Understanding ecology is important for appreciating humanity's role in modifying the environment.
ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND STUDY OF BIODIVERSITYskb212733
The document defines key terms in ecology such as ecosystem, biome, producers, consumers, and decomposers. It explains that an ecosystem is a community of interacting organisms and their environment. Energy from the sun enters ecosystems during photosynthesis and is transferred between trophic levels as organisms consume each other. Nutrients cycle between biotic and abiotic components through decomposition. Producers, consumers, and decomposers all play important roles in the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients within ecosystems.
Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. An ecosystem is a basic functional unit in ecology, consisting of all the organisms in a given area along with their abiotic environment, interacting and exchanging materials between biotic and abiotic components. Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis and is transferred between trophic levels, with about 80-90% lost as heat at each transfer. Nutrients cycle between biotic and abiotic components through processes like decomposition and the food chain. Ecological succession over time leads to the progression of communities as environmental conditions change.
1. The document discusses key concepts in ecology including ecosystems, ecosystem structure and function, and food webs.
2. An ecosystem is defined as a group of organisms interacting with each other and their environment. Ecosystems can be terrestrial, aquatic, or artificial/man-made.
3. Ecosystem structure includes biotic components like producers, consumers, and decomposers, as well as abiotic components like climate, soil and water. Energy flows through ecosystems via photosynthesis, food chains and food webs as organisms consume and are consumed.
Ecosystems:
Concept and components of an ecosystem -structural and functional features – Functional attributes (Food chain and Food web only).
Biodiversity:
Introduction – Classification – Bio-geographical classification of India- Value of biodiversity – Threats and Conservation of biodiversity - case studies.
1. The key themes of an ecosystem are that everything is related, there are limits to growth, and ecosystems are complex with many interacting elements.
2. Ecosystems have general characteristics like being a structural and functional unit with diverse species, requiring energy to maintain complex structures, and functioning through energy flow and material cycling.
3. The main functions of an ecosystem are transforming solar energy into food energy through photosynthesis, circulating elements through energy flow and nutrient cycles, converting organic elements into inorganic forms through decomposition, and allowing growth and development of plants by taking up inorganic nutrients from soil.
An ecosystem is a self-regulating group of biotic communities interacting with their non-living environment. It has a biotic structure of producers, consumers, and decomposers and an abiotic structure of physical and chemical factors. Energy and nutrients cycle through the ecosystem via food chains and webs that are represented by ecological pyramids showing the trophic structure. Ecosystems are classified based on their organization patterns, including forest, grassland, desert, aquatic, and marine ecosystems.
An ecosystem is defined as a community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with each other and their non-living (abiotic) environment. It includes producers, consumers, decomposers and their interactions within the physical environment. Producers like plants convert solar energy to food via photosynthesis while consumers feed on producers or other consumers. Decomposers break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients. Ecosystems function by transferring energy from producers to consumers and recycling matter through decomposition. Habitat destruction like deforestation can threaten organisms by reducing food, shelter and resources, potentially driving some to extinction.
The document provides information on different types of wastes, ecosystems, and environmental issues. It discusses:
1) Biodegradable wastes such as food and paper break down naturally, while non-biodegradable wastes like plastics persist and can pollute the environment.
2) An ecosystem includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components that interact, along with food chains connecting producers, consumers, and decomposers.
3) Environmental problems arise from pollution and depletion of resources. The thinning ozone layer allows more UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface, increasing health risks, while waste disposal methods must account for different waste types.
Similar to L02 ecosystem function and structure (20)
Heart Touching Romantic Love Shayari In English with ImagesShort Good Quotes
Explore our beautiful collection of Romantic Love Shayari in English to express your love. These heartfelt shayaris are perfect for sharing with your loved one. Get the best words to show your love and care.
KALYAN MATKA | MATKA RESULT | KALYAN MATKA TIPS | SATTA MATKA | MATKA.COM | MATKA PANA JODI TODAY | BATTA SATKA | MATKA PATTI JODI NUMBER | MATKA RESULTS | MATKA CHART | MATKA JODI | SATTA COM | FULL RATE GAME | MATKA GAME | MATKA WAPKA | ALL MATKA RESULT LIVE ONLINE | MATKA RESULT | KALYAN MATKA RESULT | DPBOSS MATKA 143 | MAIN MATKA
➒➌➎➏➑➐➋➑➐➐KALYAN MATKA | MATKA RESULT | KALYAN MATKA TIPS | SATTA MATKA | MATKA.COM | MATKA PANA JODI TODAY | BATTA SATKA | MATKA PATTI JODI NUMBER | MATKA RESULTS | MATKA CHART | MATKA JODI | SATTA COM | FULL RATE GAME | MATKA GAME | MATKA WAPKA | ALL MATKA RESULT LIVE ONLINE | MATKA RESULT | KALYAN MATKA RESULT | DPBOSS MATKA 143 | MAIN MATKA
Tanjore Painting: Rich Heritage and Intricate Craftsmanship | Cottage9Cottage9 Enterprises
Explore the exquisite art of Tanjore Painting, known for its vibrant colors, gold foil work, and traditional themes. Discover its cultural significance today!
The cherry: beauty, softness, its heart-shaped plastic has inspired artists since Antiquity. Cherries and strawberries were considered the fruits of paradise and thus represented the souls of men.
2. Recall from last lesson
Ecological Architecture Environment and its Components
Biotic & Abiotic
Ecology
levels of ecological organization
Ecosystem
Types of Ecosystem
components of Ecosystem
Biosphere
2
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
3. Ecosystem
An ecosystem includes all living organisms and the non-living
components of the environment that are found in a particular place.
In simple words, it can be defined as a piece of land or water body
where life continues without the need of human support or
intervention.
The simplest level of organization in any ecosystem is that of an
organism, which refers to any plant, animal or micro-organism
inhabiting an ecosystem. A population includes all the members of
the same organism that live in one place at one time. All the different
populations that live in a particular area make up a Community. The
physical location of a community is called the Habitat. An ecosystem
is in turn is a level of organization and has another higher level of
organization called Biosphere.
3
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
4. Ecosystem
In other words, an ecosystem is the basic functional unit of biosphere.
The major terrestrial ecosystems of the world with their groups of
climax biotic community are called ‘biomes’.
The major terrestrial biomes are: Tundra, taiga, deciduous forests,
tropical rain forest, chapparals, savannah, grasslands and deserts.
Extent of a biome is determined by climatic edaphic factors and
geographic and geomorphic factors.
In this lecture you will learn about the structure and functions of
ecosystem.
4
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
6. Ecosystem Structure
An ecosystem can also be viewed as a piece of land or
water body where life continues naturally.
Structurally it consists of a community of living organisms
along with their abiotic environment.
Ecosystem structure can be described in terms of its
components, trophic organization, species composition,
stratification, consideration of size scale and boundaries
etc.
6
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
9. Components of an ecosystem 9
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
They are broadly grouped into:-
Abiotic
Physical/ Climatic factors
Edaphic factors
Geographic or Geomorphic factors
Biotic components
10. Components of an ecosystem
Abiotic components (Non-living):
Abiotic components represent the physio-chemical environment of the
earth and include different physical entities like air, water, soil etc. as well as
conditions such as temperature, light etc. these are also referred as factors
as they influence the behaviour of any individual in an ecosystem.
The abiotic component can be grouped into following three categories:-
Physical/ Climatic factors: Sun light, temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind
and pressure. They sustain and limit the growth of organisms in an
ecosystem.
Edaphic factors: These are related to the structure and composition of soil
and include inorganic substances like water, carbon, sulphur, nitrogen,
phosphorus etc. as well as organic substances like Carbohydrates, proteins,
lipids and humic substances. They are the building blocks of living systems
and therefore, make a link between the biotic and abiotic components.
Geographic or Geomorphic factors: It includes land topography, slope,
aspects (direction towards the sun), altitude, latitude etc.
10
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
11. Components of an ecosystem
Biotic components (Living)
Biotic components comprises the living part of
the environment, which includes the
association of a number of interrelated
populations belonging to different species in a
common environment.
The populations are that of animal community,
plant community and microbial community.
Biotic community is distinguished into
autotrophs, heterotrophs and saprotrophs.
(i) Producers: The green plants manufacture
food for the entire ecosystem through the
process of photosynthesis. Green plants are
called autotrophs, as they absorb water and
nutrients from the soil, carbon dioxide from the
air, and capture solar energy for this process.
11
12. Components of an ecosystem
(ii) Consumers: They are called
heterotrophs and they consume food
synthesized by the autotrophs.
Based on food preferences they can be
grouped into three broad categories.
Herbivores (e.g. cow, deer and rabbit
etc.) feed directly on plants, carnivores
are animals which eat other animals (eg.
lion, cat, dog etc.) and omnivores
organisms feeding upon both plants and
animals e.g. human, pigs and sparrow.
12
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
13. Components of an ecosystem
(iii) Decomposers: Also called
saprotrophs.
These are mostly bacteria and fungi
that feed on dead decomposed and
the dead organic matter of plants and
animals by secreting enzymes outside
their body on the decaying matter.
They play a very important role in
recycling of nutrients.
They are also called detrivores or
detritus feeders.
13
14. Ecosystem Function–energy Flow Through ecosystem
Food chains and energy flow are the functional properties of
ecosystems which make them dynamic.
The biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem are linked through
them.
Food Chain
Transfer of food energy from green plants (producers) through a
series of organisms with repeated eating and being eaten is called a
food chain. e.g.
Grasses → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk/Eagle
Each step in the food chain is called trophic level. In the above
example grasses are 1st, and eagle represents the 5th trophic level.
During this process of transfer of energy some energy is lost into the
system as heat energy and is not available to the next trophic level.
14
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
15. Food Chain
(1) Autotrophs: They are the producers of food for all other organisms of
the ecosystem.
(2) Herbivores: The animals which eat the plants directly are called
primary consumers or herbivores e.g. insects, birds, rodents and
ruminants.
(3) Carnivores: They are secondary consumers if they feed on
herbivores and tertiary consumers if they use carnivores as their food.
e.g. frog, dog, cat and tiger.
(4) Omnivores: Animals that eat both plant and animals e.g. pig, bear
and man
(5) Decomposers: They take care of the dead remains of organisms at
each trophic level and help in recycling of the nutrients e.g. bacteria
and fungi.
15
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
16. Types of Food Chain
(i) Grazing food chains: which starts from the green plants that make
food for herbivores and herbivores in turn for the carnivores.
(ii) Detritus food chains: start from the dead organic matter to the
detrivore organisms which in turn make food for protozoan to carnivores
etc.
16
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
17. Food Web
Trophic levels in an ecosystem are
not linear rather they are
interconnected and make a food
web.
Thus food web is a network
interconnected food chains
existing in an ecosystem.
One animal may be a member of
several different food chains.
Food webs are more realistic
models of energy flow through an
ecosystem.
17
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
18. Ecological Pyramid
Ecological pyramids are the
graphic representations of trophic
levels in an ecosystem.
They are pyramidal in shape and
they are of three types:
The producers make the base of
the pyramid and the subsequent
tiers of the pyramid represent
herbivore, carnivore and top
carnivore levels.
1. Pyramid of Numbers
2. Pyramid of Biomass
3. Pyramid of Energy
18
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
20. ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY
It is clear from the trophic structure of an ecosystem that the amount of
energy decreases at each subsequent trophic level due to two reasons:
At each trophic a part of the available energy is lost in respiration or
used up in metabolism.
A part of energy is lost at each transformation, i.e. when it moves
from lower to higher trophic level as heat.
It is the ratio between the amount of energy acquired from the lower
trophic level and the amount of energy transferred from higher
trophic level is called ecological efficiency.
Lindman in 1942 defined these ecological efficiencies for the 1st time
and proposed 10% rule e.g. if autotrophs produce 100 cal, herbivores
will be able to store 10 cal. and carnivores 1cal.
20
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
21. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
Bio = living, Geo = rock Chemical = element
In ecosystems flow of energy is linear but that of nutrients is cyclical.
This is because energy flows downhill i.e. it is utilized or lost as heat as
it flows forward.
The nutrients on the other hand cycle from dead remains of
organisms released back into the soil by detrivores which are
absorbed again i.e. nutrient absorbed from soil by the root of green
plants are passed on to herbivores and then carnivores.
The nutrients locked in the dead remains of organisms and released
back into the soil by detrivores and decomposers.
This recycling of the nutrients is called biogeochemical or nutrient
cycle
21
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
22. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
There are more than 40 elements required for the
various life processes by plants and animals.
The entire earth or biosphere is a closed system i.e.
nutrients are neither imported nor exported from the
biosphere.
There are two important components of a
biogeochemical cycle
(1) Reservoir pool - atmosphere or rock, which stores
large amounts of nutrients.
(2) Cycling pool or compartments of cycle-They are
relatively short storages of carbon in the form of plants
and animals.
22
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
23. CARBON CYCLE
The source of all carbon is carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. It is highly soluble in
water; therefore, oceans also contain large quantities of dissolved carbon dioxide.
The global carbon cycle consists of following steps-
• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Decomposition
• Combustion
• Impact of human activities
The global carbon cycle has been increasingly disturbed by human activities particularly
since the beginning of industrial era.
Large scale deforestation and ever growing consumption of fossil fuels by growing numbers
of industries, power plants and automobiles are primarily responsible for increasing emission
of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide has been continuously increasing in the atmosphere due to human activities
such as industrialization, urbanization and increasing use and number of automobiles.
This is leading to increase concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is a major cause
of global warming.
23
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
25. NITROGEN CYCLE
Nitrogen is an essential component of protein and required by all living organisms including human beings.
Our atmosphere contains nearly 79% of nitrogen but it cannot be used directly by the majority of living organisms.
Broadly like carbon dioxide, nitrogen also cycles from gaseous phase to solid phase then back to gaseous phase
through the activity of a wide variety of organisms.
Cycling of nitrogen is vitally important for all living organisms.
There are five main processes which essential for nitrogen cycle are elaborated below.
(a) Nitrogen fixation: This process involves conversion of gaseous nitrogen into
Ammonia, a form in which it can be used by plants. Atmospheric nitrogen can be fixed by the following three
methods:-
(i) Atmospheric fixation: Lightening, combustion and volcanic activity help in the fixation of nitrogen.
(ii) Industrial fixation: At high temperature (400oC) and high pressure (200 atm.), molecular nitrogen is broken into
atomic nitrogen which then combines with hydrogen to form ammonia.
(iii) Bacterial fixation: There are two types of bacteria-
(i) Symbiotic bacteria e.g. Rhizobium in the root nodules of leguminous plants.
(ii) Freeliving or symbiotic e.g. 1. Nostoc 2. Azobacter 3. Cyanobacteria can combine atmospheric or dissolved
nitrogen with hydrogen to form ammonia.
25
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
26. NITROGEN CYCLE
(b) Nitrification: It is a process by which ammonia is
converted into nitrates or nitrites by Nitrosomonas and
Nitrococcus bacteria respectively. Another soil bacteria
Nitrobacter can covert nitrate into nitrite.
(c) Assimilation: In this process nitrogen fixed by plants is
converted into organic molecules such as proteins, DNA,
RNA etc. These molecules make the plant and animal
tissue.
(d) Ammonification: Living organisms produce
nitrogenous waste products such as urea and uric acid.
These waste products as well as dead remains of
organisms are converted back into inorganic ammonia
by the bacteria. This process is called ammonification.
Ammonifying bacteria help in this process.
(e) Denitrification: Conversion of nitrates back into
gaseous nitrogen is called denitrification. Denitrifying
bacteria live deep in soil near the water table as they
like to live in oxygen free medium. Denitrification is
reverse of nitrogen fixation.
26
28. WATER CYCLE
Water received from the atmosphere on the earth returns
back to the atmosphere as water vapour resulting from
direct evaporation and through evapotranspiration the
continuous movement of water in the biosphere is called
water cycle (hydrological cycle).
Water is not evenly distributed throughout the surface of
the earth.
Almost 95 % of the total water on the earth is chemically
bound to rocks and does not cycle.
Out of the remaining 5%, nearly 97.3% is in the oceans and
2.1% exists as polar ice caps.
Thus only 0.6% is present as fresh water in the form of
atmospheric water vapours, ground and soil water.
28
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
30. WATER CYCLE
Water is not evenly distributed throughout the
surface of the earth.
Almost 95 % of the total water on the earth is
chemically bound to rocks and does not cycle.
Out of the remaining 5%, nearly 97.3% is in the
oceans and 2.1% exists as polar ice caps.
Thus only 0.6% is present as fresh water in the form of
atmospheric water vapours, ground and soil water.
30
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
31. WATER CYCLE 31
L – 2 Ecological Architecture & Urbanism Ar.Gagan Jain
32. HOMEOSTASIS OF ECOSYSTEM
Ecosystems are capable of maintaining their state of equilibrium.
They can regulate their own species structure and functional processes.
This capacity of ecosystem of self-regulation is known as homeostasis.
In ecology the term applies to the tendency for a biological systems to
resist changes. For example, in a pond ecosystem if the population of
zooplankton increased, they would consume large number of the
phytoplankton and as a result soon zooplankton would be short supply
of food for them.
As the number of zooplankton is reduced because of starvation,
phytoplankton population start increasing. After some time the
population size of zooplankton also increases and this process continues
at all the trophic levels of the food chain.
Humans are the greatest source of disturbance to ecosystems.
32
33. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND HUMAN WELLBEING
It has been widely recognized that ecosystems are the planet’s life
support systems.
Nature’s goods and services are the ultimate foundations of life for the
human species and all other living beings.
Human biology has a fundamental need for food, Water, clean air,
shelter and relative climatic constancy.
All these resources are directly or indirectly derived from ecosystems or
nature.
Changes in the flow of these services affect health, livelihoods, income,
migration and political affairs of human society which in turn have wide
ranging impacts on human well-being.
33
34. HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ECOSYSTEM
As a result of human actions, the structure and functioning of world’s
ecosystems have changed more rapidly in the second half of the 20th century
than at any other time in human history.
It is becoming increasingly clear that population growth and economic
development are leading rapid changes in a global ecosystems.
In recognition of this, the United Nations undertook the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment in order to assess the consequences of ecosystem change as
related to human well-being.
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment examined the state of 24 services that
make a direct contribution to human well-being.
The assessment concludes that 15 out of these 24 services are in decline,
including provision of freshwater, marine fishery production, the number of
quality of places of spiritual and religious value, the ability of the atmosphere to
cleanse itself off pollutants, natural hazard regulation, pollination, and the
capacity of agricultural ecosystems to provide bio-control of pests.
34
35. HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ECOSYSTEM
Over the past 50 years human have changed natural ecosystems more
rapidly and extensively than in any other comparable period in human
history.
Poverty and hunger have tended to force many rural people to do
farming on marginal drought-prone lands with poor soil fertility, and
others to move to urban slums.
About 1 billion people are affected by land degradation such as that
caused by soil erosion, water logging or salinity of irrigated land.
Erosion has caused substantial reductions of crop yields in Africa.
Diminished human health and well-being tends to increase the
immediate dependence on ecosystem services and the resultant
additional pressure can damage the ecosystem’s capacity to deliver
services.
35
36. HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ECOSYSTEM
The concept of ecological footprint has been designed to measure the
extent of human pressure on the land and seas.
Ecological footprint measures the biologically productive area that
people use for provision of renewable resources, occupy with
infrastructure, or required for absorption of Co2 wastes.
with the modest UN projections for population growth, consumption and
climate change, by 2030 humanity will need the capacity of two Earths,
to absorb carbon dioxide waste and keep up with natural resource
consumption of ever growing human population.
Now it depends on the people and the nations that how they respond
to such an alarming situation.
Adopting sustainable development in future course of human
endeavour is the only solution and way forward.
36
37. NEED FOR MANAGING ECOSYSTEM
Ecosystem services are indispensable to the well-being of people
everywhere. It is also now widely recognised that adverse changes in
ecosystems have a more direct influence on human well-being among
poor populations than among wealthy populations.
In order to achieve the goal of sustainable development and to
enhance human well-being, ecosystem services need to be conserved
by all means.
For achieving this target, comprehensive reforms and governance,
institutions, laws and policies are required along with personal
commitment at the level of individuals to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Reducing the present level of resource consumption, fighting inequalities
in resource access and giving top priority for managing essential
ecosystem services like provision of clean water and nutritious food are
some of the pathways to achieve sustainability.
37
39. Ecosystems of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is endowed with diverse ecosystems in which diverse flora and
fauna as well as microbial resources are found.
The major ecosystems include:
1. Afroalpine and subafroalpine,
2. Montane dry forest and scrub, Montane moist forest,
3. Acacia-Comiphora woodland,
4. Combretum-Terminalia woodland,
5. Lowland humid forest,
6. Aquatic, wetland,
7. Montane grassland, and
8. Desert and semi desert ecosystems.
39