Ecosystem: Structure

FY B Sc. Botany

Defined area in which a community lives with interactions taking place among
the organisms between the community and its non-living physical environment.
An ecosystem is formed by the interactions between all living and non-living
things . All the ecosystems of the earth are connected to one another. A complete
self sufficient ecosystem is rarely found in nature

The concept of Ecosystem was first put forth by Tansley (1935) :

Ecosystem is a major ecological unit
It has both structure and function
The structure is related to species diversity
The function of ecosystem is related to flow of energy and cycling of
materials through structural components of the ecosystems.

Clarke 1954 :
The organism and the physical features of the habitat form an ecological
complex or more briefly an Ecosystem

E.P. Odum:
The ecosystem is the basic functional unit of organisms and their
environment interacting with each other and with their own components

Structure of Ecosystem

The structure of an ecosystem is basically a description of the organisms and

physical features of environment including the amount of and distribution of
nutrients in a particular habitat

It also provided the range of climatic conditions prevailing in the area

All the ecosystems consists of two basic componets:

1. Abiotic Components
2. Biotic Components

1. Abiotic components
The way in which plants and animals grow and carry out their different activities is a
result of several abiotic factors. These factors are light, temperature, water, atmospheric
gases, wind as well as soil (edaphic) and physiographic (nature of land surface) factors.
i. Light
Light energy (sunlight) is the primary source of energy in nearly all ecosystems. It is the
energy that is used by green plants (which contain chlorophyll) during the process of
photosynthesis; a process during which plants manufacture organic substances by
combining inorganic substances.
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Quality of light (wavelength or colour)

Light intensity ("strength" of light)
Day length (length of the light period):

ii. Temperature
The distribution of plants and animals is greatly influenced by extremes in temperature
for instance the warm season. deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter and enter into
a state of dormancy, where the buds are covered for protection against the cold;
iii. Water
Plant and animal habitats vary from entirely aquatic environments to very dry deserts.
Water is essential for life and all organisms depend on it to survive in especially desert
areas.
iv. Atmospheric gases.
The most important gases used by plants and animals are oxygen, carbon dioxide and
nitrogen.
v. Wind
Winds or air currents arise on a world-wide scale as a result of a complex interaction
between hot air expanding and rising. Winds carry water vapour which may condense
and fall in the form of rain, snow or hail. Wind erosion can remove and redistribute
topsoil, especially where vegetation has been reduced.

vi. Soil (edaphic factors)

These factors include soil texture, soil air, soil temperature, soil water, soil solution and
pH, together with soil organisms and decaying matter.

The main Soil Factors

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Soil texture
The size of soil particles varies from microscopic particles called clay to larger
particles called sand.

Soil air
Soil air is found in those spaces between the soil particles that are not filled with
soil water. The amount of air in a soil depends on how firmly the soil is
compacted. In well-aerated soil at least 20% of its volume is made up of air.

Soil temperature
Soil temperature is an important ecological factor. It has been found that the
temperature of soil below a depth of about 30cm is almost constant during the
day but seasonal temperature differences do occur.
Soil
water
Soil water can be classified into three types, namely hygroscopic, capillary and
gravitational water. Hygroscopic water occurs as a thin film of water around
each soil particle. Capillary water is that water held in the small spaces between
the soil particles and gravitational water is the water which drains downwards
through the soil.

Soil solution
Soil solution is the decaying remains of plants and animals, together with animal
excretory products and faeces, form humus. This increases the fertility of the soil.

pH
Acidity or alkalinity of soil (the pH of the soil) influences the biological activity
in soil and the availability of certain minerals. Thus the pH of soil has a greater
influence on the growth and development of plants.

Physiographic factors
These factors are those associated with the physical nature of the area, such as:
1. Altitude
2. Slope of land
3. The position of the area in relation to the sun or rain-bearing winds.
Biotic Factors

Biotic factors are the living organisms in an ecosystem. They live in Communities
(many different populations) of varied Populations (groups of interbreeding
organisms). Each organism has a role or NICHE and is usually participating in a
relationship of some kind. Depending on how the living organisms in an ecosystem
obtain, store and utilize release energy, they are categorized into three main trophic
levels,
(a) producers For detail refer to other lecture notes
(b) consumers and- For detail refer to other lecture notes
(c) decomposers or detritivores: When organisms die their bodies and the waste
materials passed from the bodies of living organisms form a source of energy and
nutrients for other organisms.
Decomposers are also called microconsumers,
saprotrophs or osmotrophs etc. Eg: Fungi and bacteria. Producers and consumers can
not survive without decomposers, because decomposers play an important role in an
ecosystem by breaking down complex molecules of dead organisms into simple
molecules. These are converted into nutrients which are available for the producers to
prepare food material. An Ecosystem has two functional aspects (a) Biogeochemical
cycles and (b) Energy flow. Recycling of the inorganic nutrients is brought about by the
decomposers (Bacteria and fungi) which breakdown the compiex molecules of deed
organisms and waste materials.