Lecture 3 ES

ECOSYSTEM:
CONCEPTS & FUNDAMENTALS

ECOLOGY
the science that deals with the
relationships between living organisms
with their physical environment and
with each other.
ECOSYSTEM
🌱 was coined by the British ecologist A.G. Tansley (1953).
🌱 It is the basic functional unit of ecology.
🌱 consists of an assembly of mutually interacting organisms

and their environment in which materials are interchanged in
a largely cyclical manner
🌱 isan open system due to the continual and varied input and
loss of energy and substances.
🌱 The environment in which a particular organism lives is called

its habitat. The role of an organism in a habitat is called its
niche.
Herbivores
ABIOTIC
❑ consisting of elements that are not alive
❑ include the following category: habitat, gases,

solar radiation, temperature, moisture and
inorganic and organic nutrients.
❑ inorganic components of an ecosystem:

carbon dioxide, water nitrogen, calcium &
phosphate. The organic components of an
ecosystem are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids
and amino acids.
Examples of Abiotic Components
Abiotic components are non-living parts of an ecosystem that shape and influence
living organisms. Some examples of abiotic components include:
1. Temperature: The temperature of an ecosystem can have a major influence on the
types of organisms that can survive there, as well as their behavior and
metabolism.
2. Moisture: The amount of water available in an ecosystem can affect the types of
plants and animals that can survive there.
3. Soil: The composition and pH of soil can influence the types of plants that can
grow in an ecosystem.
4. Sunlight: The amount of sunlight an ecosystem receives can influence the types of
plants and animals that can survive there.
5. Altitude: The altitude of an ecosystem can influence the types of plants and
animals that can survive there.
6. Geology: The geology of an ecosystem, including the type of rock and minerals
present, can influence the types of plants and animals that can survive there.
7. Air: The composition of the air in an ecosystem, including the levels of different
gases, can influence the types of plants and animals that can survive there.
BIOTIC
❑ The term “biological components” refers to all living elements of an
ecosystem.
❑ On the basis of their feeding, biotic
components can be classified as autotrophs,
heterotrophs, or saprotrophs (or
decomposers).
Types of Biotic Components
According to their mechanism of nourishment, there are three categories of Biotic Components:
a. Producers
Producers consist of all autotrophs, including plants.
They are referred to as autotrophs since they can create food through photosynthesis.
Therefore, all species higher up the food chain depend on producers for sustenance.
Example: Green plants, tiny shrubs, fruit, phytoplankton, and algae are some examples.
b. Consumers
Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that obtain their sustenance from other organisms.
c. Decomposers
Saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria are decomposers. They directly feed on decaying and
decomposing organic substances. Decomposers are vital to the ecology because they recycle
nutrients for reuse by plants.
Example: Most decomposers are tiny organisms, including protozoa and bacteria. Other
decomposers are visible without the use of a microscope. They consist of fungus and
invertebrate animals known as detritivores, such as earthworms, termites, and millipedes.
Primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers are further classifications of
consumers.
❑ Primary consumers: Primary consumers are always herbivores since they obtain their food from
producers. Additionally known as herbivores. They only consume primary producers, such as plants or
algae. An Everglades grasshopper, for instance, is a major consumer. Other examples of primary
consumers include white-tailed deer who feed on grassland grasses and zooplankton that ingest
microscopic water algae. Example: Rabbits, bears, giraffes, flies, people, horses, and cows, are some
examples.
❑ Secondary consumers: Primary consumers provide energy to secondary consumers. They may be
carnivorous or omnivorous. Example: Some secondary consumers consume both plant and animal
foods. They are referred to as omnivores, from the Latin for “eats everything.” A raccoon is an example of
an omnivore, as it consumes plant matter such as berries and acorns, as well as crayfish, frogs, fish, and
other small animals.
❑ Tertiary consumers: Tertiary consumers are creatures that obtain their sustenance from secondary
consumers. Tertiary consumers might be herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Example: All large felines
are tertiary consumers. For example, lions, tigers, pumas, jaguars, etc. In addition, they are apex
predators, which means that no other organisms prey on them in their ecological environment.
❑ Quaternary consumers: There are quaternary consumers in some food chains. These organisms obtain
energy by preying on tertiary consumers. Furthermore, as they have no natural predators, they are
typically at the top of the food chain. Example: Quaternary consumers are often the apex predators in
their own ecosystems, and they feed on tertiary consumers, which they ingest. As well as other huge
predators, lions, wolves, polar bears, humans, and hawks are examples of quaternary consumers.
FUNCTION OF ECOSYSTEM
1 2
the capacity of natural Ecosystem functions are subset of

processes and ecological processes and
components to provide ecosystem structures. Each
goods and services that function is the result of the natural
satisfy human needs, processes of the total ecological
either directly or sub-system of which it is a part.
indirectly.
There are four primary groups of
ecosystem functions :
REGULATORY PRODUCTION INFORMATION

FUNCTION FUNCTIONS FUNCTIONS
this group of HABITAT Photosynthesis and Since most of human
functions relates to nutrient uptake by evolution took place
the capacity of FUNCTIONS autotrophs converts within the context of an
natural and semi- natural ecosystems energy, carbon dioxide, undomesticated habitat,
natural ecosystems provide refuge and a water and nutrients
natural ecosystems
reproduction habitat to into a wide variety of
to regulate essential contribute to the
wild plants and animals carbohydrate
ecological processes maintenance of human
and thereby contribute structures which are
and life support then used by health by providing
systems through bio- to the (in situ)
secondary producers opportunities for
geochemical cycles conservation of
to create an even larger reflection, spiritual
and other biospheric biological and genetic
variety of living enrichment, cognitive
processes. diversity and the
biomass. development, recreation
evolutionary process.
and aesthetic
TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
01 | NATURAL 02 | ARTIFICIAL
Land-based or Terrestrial, such Crop fields and an
as Forest, Grassland, and aquarium are examples
Desert, and Aquatic, such as of ecosystems created
Pond, Lake, Wetland, River, and by humans.
Estuary.
It is separated into two groups;

1. Terrestrial Ecosystem
2. Aquatic Ecosystem
We will talk
about this more
on our next
slide.
WATCH OUT FOR AN ACTIVITY TO BE POSTED BY MONDAY, JUNE 26

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ECOSYSTEM:

CONCEPTS & FUNDAMENTALS

🌱 It is the basic functional unit of ecology.

🌱 consists of an assembly of mutually interacting organisms

🌱 The environment in which a particular organism lives is called

❑ include the following category: habitat, gases,

❑ inorganic components of an ecosystem:

the capacity of natural Ecosystem functions are subset of

REGULATORY PRODUCTION INFORMATION

It is separated into two groups;

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