LESSON 3.

Concept Of Ecosystem
The German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1869 coined the word “Ecology” combining
two Greek words – oikos, meaning “household” or “home” and logos, meaning
“study of” – to coin ecology, the science that deals with the study of organisms in
their natural home interacting with their surroundings ie., other living organisms
and physical components. Ecology examines the life histories, distribution and
behaviour of individual species as well as the structural and functions of a natural
system in terms of population, communities, ecosystems and landscape. In 1935
essay the English biologist Arthur Tansley proposed the concept of an energy model
involving “ecosystems” and “energy”. Tansley (1935) described an ecosystem as a
group of biotic communities of species interacting with one another and with their
non-living environment exchanging energy and matter. On the energy model, the
ecological whole is to be understood as an energy system or circuit. Just as the
physicist studies the flow of energy through a physical system, the ecologist studies
the flow of energy through an ecosystem. The language of food chain is replaced
with the mathematically more precise language of chemistry nd physics. The
ecosystem appears as just another physical, mechanical system. Ecosystem is
necessary for the maintenance of life on Earth. For an ecosystem to function, both
input and output environments are important. The flow of energy, the cycling of
materials and community are the components for making an ecosystem functional.
The living community of plants and animals in any area together with the non-living
components of the environment such as soil, air and water, constitute the
ecosystem. Ecosystems are divided into terrestrial or land based ecosystem and
aquatic ecosystem in water. These form the two major habitat conditions for the
Earth’s living organisms. At global level thin mantle of the earth on the land , the
sea and the air, forms the biosphere. At a sub-global level, this is divided into bio-
geographical realms.eg. Eurasia called the palaeartic realm; South and South-east
Asia of which India form a major part is the Oriental realm; North America is the
Nearctic realm; South America forms the Neotrophical realm; Africa the Ethiopian
realm; and Australia the Australian realm.
At the national level or state level, this forms biogeographic regions. There are
several distinctive geographical regions in India-the Himalayas, the Gangetic Plains,
the Highlands of Central India, the Western and Eastern Ghats, the semi-arid desert
in the West, the Deccan Plateau, the Coastal Belts, and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. These geographically distinctive areas have plants and animals that have
been adapted to live in each of these regions.
3.1.1 Structure and functions of an ecosystem:
The structure of an ecosystem consists of both biological communities and abiotic
components. The two basic components of an ecosystem are i. The autotrophic
component and ii) the heterotrophic component.
The autotrophic components include the autotrophs which convert the radiant
energy of the sun into chemical energy and stored as complex organic molecules.
The heterotrophs feed on the food manufactured by the autotrophs. The
heterotrophs recover the energy by breaking down the complex organic molecules.
An ecosystem comprises of : 1. Abiotic, 2. Producers, 3.Consumers and 4.
Decomposers. The nonliving substances called abiotic include factors like light,
temperature, pressure, soil, water, carbondioxide, pH, mineral and chemical
compounds. The physical and chemical components of an ecosystem constitute its
abiotic structure which includes soil, geographical, climatic factors, energy,
nutrtients and toxic substances. The producers are to autotrophs mainly green
plants, algae, etc., and they are further sub-divided into i)micro vegetation and
ii)macrovegetation. Producers can make their own food by using the carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere, water and sunlight and chlorophyll in the leaves through the
process of photosynthesis. They are also called as photo autotrophs. Some
microorganisms can produce organic matter through oxidation of certain chemicals
in the absence of sunlight. They are called as chemosynthetic organisms or chemo-
autotrophs. At ocean depths, chemoautotrophic bacteria using the heat available at
earth core to convert dissolved hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide into organic
compounds.
The consumers are mainly heterotrophs like animals that feed on other organisms.
They are further sub-divided into micro-consumers and macro-consumers.
Herbivores or primary consumers feed directly on producers. Carnivores or
secondary consumers feed on herbivores and if they feed on other carnivores
known as tertiary carnivores. Omnivores feed on both plants and animals.
Detritivores feed on the parts of dead organisms and wastes of living organisms.
The Decomposers are heterotrophs which include mainly bacteria and fungi which
derive their nutrition by decomposing and breaking down the complex organic
molecules to simple organic compounds and ultimately into inorganic nutrients. The
biotic structure prevails in most of the ecosystems. In forests and agroecosystems
primary producers predominate whereas in deep ocean decomposers predominate.
Both the biotic and abiotic components influence each other and are linked through
energy flow and matter recycling. The flow of energy and matter take place through
the food chains.

3.2 FOOD CHAIN AND ENERGY FLOW:

The plants convert the radiant energy of sun into chemical energy and store them
as complex molecules; this is the food energy stored in plants. This food energy is
transferred to the primary consumers while the plant is consumed. When the large
consumers feed on the primary consumers, the food energy is transferred to them.
The transfer of food energy through a chain of organisms is called the “food chain”.
Each organism in the ecosystem is assigned a feeding level depending on its
nutritional status. The level of energy flow in each link of the food chain is called
‘trophic level’.
There are three types of food chain viz i) prey predator, ii)detritus and iii) parasitic
food chains. Prey predator food chain is also called grazing food chain: grass land
ecosystem, pond ecosystem, marine ecosystem and forest ecosystem. Detritus food
chain is also called as saprophytic food chain like mangrove habitat. Parasitic chain
goes from larger to smaller organisms. These food chains are not isolated units but
are hooked together on food webs.
Flow of energy through an ecosystem in a way parallels the flow of food through the
food chain. Photosynthesis is the process through which solar energy breaks the
chemical bonds of carbon dioxide and water molecules forming new molecules of
carbohydrates and oxygen. Respiration transforms carbohydrates and oxygen back
into carbon dioxide, water and energy. The energy released in this process powers
the chemical and physical processes of life, growth, reproduction and so on.
Photosynthesis and respiration are the processes of the carbon and oxygen cycles in
ecosystems.
3.2.1 FOOD WEB:
Neither do most primary consumers feed upon just one kind of plant, nor are they
fed upon to only one kind of secondary consumer. Food web denotes the more
complex pattern of feeding relationships among organisms. Food web is a network
of food chains where different types of organisms are connected at different trophic
levels, so that there are a number of options of eating and being eaten at each
trophic level. Food webs give greater stability to the ecosystem. In a linear food
chain, if one species becomes extinct or one species suffers then the species in the
subsequent trophic levels are also affected. In a food web, there are a number of
options available at each trophic level and hence if one species is affected it does
not affect other trophic levels so seriously. Food chain and food web play an
important role in the ecosystem, because the energy flow and nutrient cycling take
place through them. Food chains regulate and maintain the population size of
different animals, thereby maintaining the ecological balance. However, many
heavy metals, pesticides and other chemicals are not bio-degradable and also not
decomposed by micro organisms. These chemicals pass on from one trophic level to
another and at each level they keep on increasing in concentration known as
‘biomagnifications’.
FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEM
Ecosystem invariably performs in a systematic way under natural conditions. It
converts the radiant energy of sun and pass it to biotic components.The biotic
components exchange themselves and abiotic components the energy, nutrition
and water for life processes. The main functions of an ecosystem are i) Energy flow,
ii) food chain, iii) biochemical cycling of nutrients, iv) primary and secondary
production and v) Ecosystem development and regulation.