Unit I

Ecosystem and Biodiversity

Part – I Ecosystem

Ecology (2 Marks)
It is defined as “the study of interactions among biotic (living) and abiotic (non living)
components”.

Ecosystem (2 Marks)
It is defined as “the interrelationship between the biotic (living) and abiot ic (non living)
components”.

Biome (Small Ecosystem) (2 Marks)

It is defined as “the small ecosystem with in an ecosystem”
Types of ecosystem (2 Marks)

Structural / Component of an Ecosystem (8 Marks)

 An ecosystem has two major components
1. Abiotic (Non-living) components
2. Biotic ( Living) components
1. Abiotic (Non-living) components (2 Marks)
 Physical and chemical components are called Abiotic (Non-living)
components.
Ex: climate, soil, water, air, energy, nutrient, sunlight etc.,
 A. Physical components
 They includes the energy, climate, raw materials and living space that the biological
communit y needs
 They are useful for growth and maintenance of its member. Ex: air, water, soil, sunlight
B. Chemical components
 They are sources of essential nutrients. Ex: organic and inorganic substances
a. Organic substances: protein, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.,
b. Inorganic substances: all micro (Al, Co, Zn, Cu), macro elements (C, H, O, P, N, K)
and few other elements.
2. Biotic ( Living) components (2 Marks)
a. The living organisms in an ecosystem are called biotic components or biotic communit y.
b. They are classified based on their nutritional (feeding) relationship. It includes
1. Autotrops (Ex: green plants, algae, etc.,)
2. Heterotrophs (Ex: Insects, frog, tiger, etc., )
3. Decomposers (Ex: Bacteria and fungi, etc.,)

Members of biotic Components of an ecosystem (or) classification of biotic Components

1. Producers (Autotrops) (Ex: plants) (2 Marks)
 Producers synthesize their own food themselves through photosynthesis
Ex: all green plants, trees.
 photosynthesis - Producers produce won food with the help of CO2 & H2 O in the presence
of sunlight & chlorophyll through the process of photosynthesis (2 Marks)

6 CO2 + 12H2 O Chlorophyll C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 + 6H2 O

Sunlight Food
2. Consumers (Heterotrophs) (2 Marks)
Consumer are organisms, which cannot prepare their own food and depend directly are
indirectly on the producers.

Types of consumers (2 Marks)

a. Primary consumers (Herbivores- plant eaters)
They directly depend on the plants for their food Ex: insects, rat, goat, deer, cow, horse
etc.
b. Secondary consumers (primary Carnivores – meat eaters)
They directly depend on the primary consumers (Herbivores) for their food. Ex: frog, cat,
snakes, foxes, etc.
c. Tertiary consumers (Secondary Carnivores – meat eaters)
They feed on Secondary consumers or they directly depend on the primary Carnivores.
Ex: tigers, lions, etc.

3. Decomposers (2 Marks)
 They feed on dead organisms like dead plants and dead animals – decompose into
simpler compounds.
 During the decompositions inorganic nutrients are released.
  These inorganic nutrients utilized by the producers for the synthesis of their own food.
Ex: microorganisms like bacterias and fungus.

Notes (2 Marks)
Herbivores – eat only plants (vegetarian) Eg: Rabbit, Insects
Carnivores - eat only animals (non-vegetarian) Eg: Frog, Snake, big fish, lions, tigers
Omnivores - eat both plants and animals (Veg & non-vegetarian) Ex: Man
Detritivores (Saprotrophs) - eat parts of dead organisms, wastes of living organisms
E.g.: Beetles, termites, ants, crabs, earthworms.

Function of an ecosystem (4 Marks)

The function of an ecosystem is to allow flow of energy and cyclic of nutrients.
Types of function
1. Primary function/ Primary Production – Manufacture of starch (Photosynthesis).
2. Secondary Function / Secondary Production – Distributing energy in the form of food to all
consumers.
3. Tertiary function – dead systems are decomposed to initiate the third function of ecosystems
namely “cycling”.

Energy Flow in the Ecosystem (8 Marks)

 energy is the most essential requirement for all living organisms

 Solar energy is the only source to our planet earth.
 Solar energy is transformed to chemical energy in Photosynthesis by the plants
 This is the most essential step to provide energy for all other living organisms in the
ecosystem.
 Movement of energy from producers to consumers follows by the laws of
thermodynamics.
 I law - energy cannot be created or nor be destroyed (2 Marks)
 II law - There is a loss of energy in the form of heat as it moves from producer to
consumer. (2 Marks)

Nutrient flow or Nutrient cycle or biogeochemical cycle in the Ecosystem (8 Marks)

 Nutrients – It is defined as “the elements which are essential for the survival of both
plants and animals”. (2 Marks)
Ex: Macronutrients – O2 , N2, C, Ca, Mg and P
Micronutrients – B, Co, Sr, Zn and Cu
1. Nutrient cycles – It is defined as “the cyclic flow of nutrients between the biotic and
abiotic components.” (2 Marks)
2. Hydrological cycle – It is defined as “the movement of water in a cyclic manner in the
environment.” (2 Marks)
3. Carbon cycle (8 Marks)
 The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle
 Carbon is the basic component in all the organic compounds
  The carbon is present in all biotic components in different forms as food.
Ex: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and amino acids.
 Carbon is present in the atmosphere as CO2 . (sources – respiration of plants and
animals, combustion of fuels and volcanic eruptions)
 The green plants consumes CO2 by photosynthesis process and its converted to food
(starch), O2 and water.
6 CO2 + 12H2 O Chlorophyll C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 + 6H2 O
Sunlight starch
 This food moves through food chain, finally the carbon present in the dead matter is
returned to the atmosphere as CO2 by microorganisms.

4. Nitrogen cycle (8 Marks)

 Nitrogen is present in atmosphere as N2 (78%)
 It is present in all biotic components in different forms as food. Ex: proteins, vitamins,
amino acids etc.,
 N2 from the atmosphere. is taken up by the green plants as a raw material for
biosynthesis of different foods (proteins, vitamins, amino acids) and used in
metabolism. This food move through the food chain.
 After death of the plants and animals the organic N2 (NH3 , nitrites and nitrates) which
are again used by the plants.
 Nitrification – conversion of NH3 into nitrates (2 Marks)
 Denitrification - conversion of nitrates into NH3 (2 Marks)

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 4. Phosphorus cycle (8 Marks)
 Phosphorus is mainly present in the rocks and fossils
 The Phosphorus is present in all biotic components in different forms (Ex: bones, teeth)
 Farmers use excess of fertilizers for the crops
 The excess of phosphate fertilizer move with the surface runoff, reaches the oceans.
 Sea birds eat sea – fishes , which are phosphorus rich, and excreta of the birds return
the phosphorus to the land (sea birds – important role – phosphorus cycling)
 Animals and pants use this dissolved phosphates during the biosynthesis.

Ecological succession (2 Marks)

It is defined as “the progressive replacement of one communit y by another till the
development of stable communit y in a particular area”

Types of Ecological succession (2 Marks)

a. Primary succession - The gradual establishment of biotic communities on a lifeless ground.
Ex: 1. Hydrarch or Hydrosere - Starting in watery area like pond and lake
2. Xerarch or Xerosere - Starting in dry area like desert and rock

b. Secondary succession- The establishment of biotic communities in an area, where some types
of biotic communit y (group of plants and animals) is already present.

Food Chain – Definition (4 Marks)

“The sequence of eating and being eaten in an ecosystem” is known as food chain.
(or)
“Transfer of food energy from the plants through a series of organisms” is referred as food chain.

Ex: Food chain in different types of ecosystem

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Food web – Definition (4 Marks)
“The interlocking pattern of various food chains in an ecosystem” is known as food web.

Difference between food chain and food web Ecological Pyramids (2 Marks)
 In food chain if one species affected the another tropic levels are also affected
 In food web if one species affected does not affect other tropic levels

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Tropic levels (T1 , T2, T3, T4, T5) or feeding levels (2 Marks)
 The various steps through which food energy passes in an ecosystem is called as Tropic
levels.

Ecological pyramids – Definition (2 Marks)

 “Graphical representation of structure and function of tropic levels of an ecosystem” is
called Ecological pyramids.
Types of Ecological pyramids (8 Marks)
 Ecological pyramids are three types
a. Pyramid of Numbers
b. Pyramid of Energy
c. Pyramid of Mass
a. Pyramid of Numbers
 It represents the number of individual organisms present in each tropic level.
Ex: grass land ecosystem.
 There is a sharp decrease in numbers at each and every successive tropic level as we
move from producers to top carnivores.
b. Pyramid of Energy (K.Cals)
 It represents the amount of energy present in each tropic level.
 There is a sharp decrease in energy at each and every successive tropic level as we move
from producers to top carnivores.
c. Pyramid of Mass (Kgs)
 The amount of living (or) organic matter present in a particular environment or tropic
level is called biomass. Ex: Forest ecosystem
 There is a sharp decrease in mass at each and every successive tropic level as we move
from producers to top carnivores.

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 QUESTION BANK
PART-A

1. Define Ecology. *
2. Define Eco-System with an example. *
3. What are the structural components of an Ecosystem?
4. Bring out the functional features of an Ecosystem.
5. Differentiate Food Chain from Food Web. *
6. Define Ecological Pyramids. *
7. What are biogeochemical cycles? Give some examples. *
8. What are the significances of Ecological pyramids?
9. What is Tropic level? *
10. Define Ecological Succession. Mention its types. *
11. Define Food Chain and Food Web with an example. *
12. Define Hydrological cycle.
13. What is photosynthesis? Give its reaction. *
14. Define the terms i) Omnivorous. ii) Detritivores.
15. Define the term i) Producer ii) Consumer iii) Decomposer *
16. Differentiate Biotic from Abiotic components. *
17. Differentiate Herbivores from Carnivores.

PART-B
1. Explain the types, characteristics, structure and function of Forest ecosystem. *
2. Discuss the structure and function of different types of Aquatic ecosystem. *
3. Explain the types, characteristics, structure and function of the following ecosystem
a). Grassland ecosystem *
b). Desert ecosystem
4. Explain the different types of ecological pyramids. *
5. Explain the structure and function of an ecosystem. *
6. Describe the process of Carbon and Nitrogen cycles. *
7. Write a short note on Phosphorus cycle.
8. Explain the components and energy flow in the ecosystems.

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Note: * - More preferable