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2 Term proposed by British ecologist A. G. Tansley in 1935.

2 An Ecosystem is a Natural unit.

2 Consisting of all Plants, Animals and Micro- organisms in an

area functioning together with all the physical & chemical (soil,
climate, water and light) factors of the environment.

2 An ecosystem is formed by the interactions between all living

and non-living things.

2 Eco = the Environment; System = regularly interacting and

interdependent components forming a unified whole.
Ecosystem = an Ecological system;
= A community and its physical environment
treated together as a functional
system.

À 

 Ñ 



  


ÿ   
 iving/Biotic (Plants, Animals and Micro- organisms )
 Non-living/Abiotic (soil, climate, water and light )
ÿ ½ 
 Energy flow
 Cycling of matter (chemicals)
ÿ 


ynamic/ Changing (not static)
 
  

2 The kind of organism which can live in a particular ecosystem
depends upon their physical and metabolic adaptations to the
environment.
2 On earth there are number of ecosystems within a geographical
region which are exposed to same climatic conditions & having
dominant species with similar life cycle, climatic adaptations and
physical structure.
2 This set of ecosystems is called Î

2 ån the Biosphere, there are  Natural & Artificial biomes.

 a
  





2 Natural ecosystems operate by themselves under natural conditions
without interference of man
2 They carry out many functions for us.
 
  

2 |astewater is converted to drinkable water by filtration through
natural ecosystems, such as soils.
2 Air pollutants from industries & automobiles are often trapped on
leaves or converted to harmless compounds by forests.
2 On the basis of particular type of habitat, they are further sub
divided as:
  

 



 

2 They are often defined by the vegetation types that dominate the
community.
2 Terrestrial vegetation has a rapid exchange of oxygen, water &
carbon dioxide.
2 Moisture is the major limiting factor, faces the problem of
dehydration.
2 Extremes of temperature are more pronounced.
2 Soil acts as highly developed ecological subsystem.
 
  

2 Examples of terrestrial ecosystem are:
Forest ecosystem.
Grassland ecosystem

esert ecosystem.
 À 




 

2 Aquatic ecosystems deal with biotic community present in water
bodies.
2 Aquatic organisms have the same basic needs as the terrestrial
organisms
2 However difference lies in the form in which they are made
available to them.
2 ån terrestrial ecosystem, carbon dioxide and oxygen are present in
gaseous form, but in aquatic ecosystem these are made available
in dissolved state.
 
  


2 Aquatic ecosystems fall into two categories:

2 Freshwater Ecosystem and Marine Ecosystem.
2 Freshwater ecosystem may be:
2 otic (Running water)
2 Example: Streams, Rivers, Springs
2 entic (Standing water)
2 Examples: akes, ponds, swamps
2 Marine ecosystems includes
2
eep sea and Oceans.
     

ÿ À
   
2 Abiotic components are non - living chemical & physical
factors in the environment.
2 They practically provides all the energy for ecosystems.
2 They are of two forms:
(i) Climatic:
Temperature, humidity, precipitation, light etc.
(ii) Edaphic:
Topography, pH, minerals, back-ground.
     

ÿ    
2 Biotic components refer to the living world of an ecosystem.
2 They are in entirety, any living component that affects
another organism.
2 They are of two forms:
À    
2 Organisms that produce their own food from an energy
source, such as the sun, and inorganic compounds.
2 They are also called Î
Examples; Green Plants.
o   
2 Organisms that consume other organisms as a food source.
Examples: Cows; ions; Vultures
    
 

2 Ecosystem can be described according to its Trophic structure.

2 The trophic structure constitutes the levels of feeding (trophic

= food) and the feeding relationships of the components of the
ecosystem.

‡ Trophic structure is the pattern of movement of energy and

matter through an ecosystem.

2 All ecosystems must be based upon ³Autotrophs´.

2 Autotrophs (   
) produce organic food for themselves
and all members of their community.
2 The green plants (with chlorophyll) & certain bacteria produce
food.
2 Since these organisms produce food for all the other organisms,
they are known as Î 

    
 

2 Autotrophs (î  
 

  

 ) take energy
from the environment in the form of sunlight or inorganic
chemicals and use it to create energy-rich molecules such
as Carbohydrates.

2 Green plants & photosynthtic bacteria are able to do this by

means of Photosynthesis, where the sun provides the necessary
energy.
2 Therefore these green plants are the autotrophic organisms or
primary producers in most ecosystems.
 
   

½  
 


  



    
 

2 A Heterotrophs (î 

 
 
  

 ) are
an organisms that uses organic substrates to get its chemical
energy for its life cycle.
2 åt is the component in which utilization, rearrangement & break
down of complex organic substances predominate.

2 They are dependant upon autotrophic organisms.

2 The members (organisms) of heterotrophic component are called
Î
 

2 The heterotrophs are further categorized as:
 Macro- Consumers:
2 Heterotrophs, which in an order as they occur in a food chain are:
    
 

 

 Also primary consumers, feed directly on living plants
or plant residues. They have vegetarian diet.
    
 

V   
 Also secondary/ tertiary consumers, which feed on
consumers, i.e. they have non- vegetarian diet.
2 They are also called Î 


    
 

3  
 Consumers, which feed on producers as well as on
primary consumers, i.e. they have vegetarian as well as non-
vegetarian diet.
    
 

 Micro-consumers: Also Saprotrophs/
etritivores . They are
popularly known as decomposers, such as bacteria, fungi,
flagellates & actinomyctes.
2 They feed on organic compounds of dead or living protoplasm of
plants and animals for their food and energy
2 They absorb some of the decomposition or breakdown products &
release inorganic compounds (nutrients) in the ecosystem, making
them available again to producers.
    
 


2 ån simple words, structure of an ecosystem means:

2 The composition of biological community including species,
population, biomass, life history.
2 The quantity & distribution of abiotic materials
2 The range of conditions of existence, such as temperature, light,
humidity, wind, wave action etc.