Lecture 1

ECOSYSTEMS I

SCE3107
Ecosystems and Biodiversity

1 updated 4Jun2010 Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

 ECOSYSTEMS

What are they ?

How do they function?

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

2 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystems: What are they?
 An Ecosystem consists of all of the
organisms living in a community (or
communities) together with the abiotic
factors with which they interact

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

3 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystems: What are they?
 An ecological system
 Composed of a biological community &
its physical environment
 Biotic factors (living components)
 Abiotic factors (non-living components)

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

4 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Definition: ‘Environment’
 (1) The circumstances or conditions that
surround an organism or groups of
organisms
 (2) the complex of social or cultural
conditions that affect an individual or
community

 Environner (French): to encircle or surround

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

5 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystems
Levels of organization

Individual/Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

6 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 ‘Species’
 Species:
 all organisms of the same kind
 Genetically similar enough to breed in nature
and produce live, fertile offspring

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

7 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 ‘Population’
 Population:
 All members of a species living in a given
area at the same time

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

8 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 ‘Biotic community’
 Biological community:
 All populations of organisms living and
interacting in a particular area

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

9 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Biotic Factors
 Organisms
 their products
(secretions, wastes,
remains)

 & effects in a given

area

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

10 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Abiotic Factors
 Climate
 Water
 Minerals
 sunlight

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

11 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Biosphere
 Biosphere (ecosphere) - the
biosphere (i.e. all ecosystems on earth) is
an additional level of organization

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

12 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystems:
How do they function?
 System organization and functions:
 Organisms interact with each other and with
their environment
 Roles played by various members of the
community
 Ways in which energy and materials are
obtained, processed, stored or cycled
between components of the ecosystem

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

13 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystem Components & Relationships
Ecosystems

Abiotic Biotic Communities

Energy Matter Habitat Niche Populations

Producers
Species
Dispersed Recycled
or Consumers
degraded
Decomposers

Heat
Radiated
to space

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

14 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystem-how do they function?
 All ecosystems on Earth are linked via
global biogeochemical cycles.
 Existence of life depends upon
 an energy source (the sun)
 oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and other elements,
all of which are part of worldwide geological
and chemical cycles

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

15 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystems function through:
 Energy flow
 Cycling of materials

 A systems approach that attempts to

understand
 the way energy is passed through the system
 how nutrients are cycled

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

16 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Ecosystem Functions
 Individual organisms or species can be
considered in terms of the function they
perform

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

17 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Role of Biodiversity in ecosystem:
 Biological diversity allows the different
ecosystem functions to be carried
out

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

18 updated 4Jun2010 2010
The primary ecosystem functions
are to:
 Energy
 Capture
 Carbon dioxide
 Store
 Nutrients
 Transfer
 Water

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

19 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 ECOSYSTEMS

ecosystems are a network of

interactions, beginning with
the PRIMARY PRODUCERS
(the PLANTS) and
connecting to herbivores,
carnivores, parasites,
decomposers

...energy, nutrients & water

are cycled through the
network by these different
groups

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

20 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Systems approach to ecosystem function

Flow of
energy
and
materials
through an
ecosystem

Miller Ch.4
Fig 4.6

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

21 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Essential characteristics of
ecosystems
 Energy flow
 Cycling of Materials

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

22 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 1. Energy Flow - essential characteristic of ecosystems

Energy flows in a unidirectional way (it does

not cycle!) fig 4.13 Miller Ch 4

This requires a continuous input of energy

into an ecosystem

Energy source autotrophs  heterotrophs

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

23 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Autotrophs
(e.g. plants, algae)
organisms capable of
synthesizing all their
required organic
molecules from
simple organic
substances and an
energy source
24 updated 4Jun2010
 Heterotrophs
(e.g. animals)
organisms that cannot
synthesize complex
organic compounds and
must feed on organic
material formed by other
organisms to obtain energy
and necessary molecular
building blocks for
metabolism and growth
Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
2010
 2. Cycling of Materials - essential characteristic of ecosystems

 Materials (e.g. carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus)

are cycled from the abiotic environment, through
living organisms, and back to the abiotic
environment

 This results from metabolic activities of plants

and animals, and organisms such as bacteria
and fungi that break down organic matter

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

25 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Energy in ecosystems
 All organisms require energy
 maintenance, growth, reproduction, (and movement)

 The energy driving the biosphere (and all ecosystems) is

solar radiation, captured via photosynthesis by
autotrophs

 about 1% of visible light converted to chemical energy

 about 120 billion tonnes of new organic material produced each
year
 about 99% of all organic matter in the biosphere are autotrophs
(i.e. mostly plants)

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

26 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Sunlight –
the source of energy for the biosphere
Miller Ch 4 Fig 4.14

Photosynthesis:
+ solar energy
6 CO2 + 12 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6H2O

Respiration:
Energy (from photosynthesis) is released and used by
the organism when the complex molecules are
subsequently broken down during metabolism
Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
27 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Productivity in ecosystems
(David T. Krohne ;Pg 358-366)

Primary productivity - the rate at which solar

radiation is converted into chemical energy
by autotrophs (plants) (amount of material or
energy per unit time,
e.g. g/m2/yr)

Secondary productivity - the rate at which

heterotrophs (animals) convert the chemical
energy of their food into new tissue
Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
28 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Productivity in ecosystems
 However, not all of the energy is converted
into new living tissues
 respiration (metabolism) accounts for a large part
 Gross primary productivity - energy fixed in
photosynthesis per unit time

 Nett primary productivity - energy fixed in

photosynthesis minus energy used in respiration (that is, it
is the amount available for harvest at next level)

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

29 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Productivity in ecosystems

A measure of nett primary productivity is the

change in biomass per unit time
(but be aware of what may have been lost)

Biomass - the weight of living tissue per unit

area (e.g. kg/ha)

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

30 updated 4Jun2010 2010
What limits primary productivity?

The factors that limit rate of photosynthesis

limit production:
 light

 water

 temperature

 nutrients (N, P, trace elements)

 all are essential - the resource in shortest
supply will be the one limiting biomass
production Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
31 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Productivity through time
 Primary productivity will vary seasonally
depending on environmental conditions
- ‘growing season’ in agriculture
- tropical vs temperate forests
 Productivity may change with the age of an
ecosystem (regenerating vs older)

Young ecosystems - often a greater proportion of young

actively growing tissue
Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
32 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Which are the most productive
ecosystems on Earth?

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

33 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Which are the most productive
ecosystems?
Ecosystem Nett primary World primary
production production
(g/m2/yr) (billion t/yr)

Tropical rain forest 2200 37.4

Woodland/shrubland 700 6.0
Temperate grassland 600 5.4
Desert and scrub 90 1.6
Swamp and marsh 2000 4.0
Open ocean 125 41.5
Upwelling ocean zones 500 0.2
Algal beds and reefs 2500 1.6
Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT
34 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 THANK YOU

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

35 updated 4Jun2010 2010
 Next Lecture
 Lecture 2: Ecosystems II

 Types of ecosystems
 Locations

 Biodiversity, complexity and stability

Dr Sabrina Abdullah, IPGKPT

36 updated 4Jun2010 2010