Presented By:

LAVISH GOYAL
Roll Number: 20104056
Department: Electronics and Communication Engineering
Course: Environmental Studies

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Study of
Simple
Ecosystems
POND, RIVER, HILL SLOPES, FOREST

Submitted to:
Dr. Vimal Kumar Bharadwaj
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ECOSYSTEM
INTRODUCTION

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 ECOSYSTEM EXPLAINED
 An ecosystem is a community of living
organisms in connection with the non ECOSYSTEM
living components of their
environment, interacting as a system.
 Ecosystem ecology examines physical
and biological structures and examines
how these ecosystem characteristics
interact with each other.  ECO SYSTEM

Environment Interaction

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 STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTEM

ECOSYSTEM

Eg: soil, water, light, Abiotic Biotic Eg: producers and

Inorganic nutrients etc. non-living living Consumers. (us)

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 “
“The Earth is what we all have
in common.”
—Wendell Berry

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 SIMPLE ECOSYSTEMS
FOREST
Forest ecology is the scientific study of
the interrelated patterns, processes,
flora, fauna and ecosystems in forests
PONDS
Pond Ecosystem refers to fresh
water ecosystem on which different
organisms depend for their survival and
to fulfill their nutritional needs as well.  but diverse array of habitats in which a
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RIVER
River ecosystems are flowing waters that
drain the landscape, and include the
biotic (living) interactions amongst plants,
animals and micro-organisms, as well as
abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical
interactions of its many parts.
HILL SLOPES
Mountain ecosystem, complex of living
organisms in mountainous areas.
Mountain lands provide a scattered
large range of plants and animals can be
found.
FOREST ECOSYSTEM

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 FOREST ECOSYSTEM

A forest ecosystem is a terrestial unit of

living organisms (plants, animals, and
microorganisms), all interacting among
themselves and with the environemnt
(soil, climate, water and light) in which
they live.

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 BIOTIC & ABIOTIC FACTORS
Abiotic Factors
• Sun: Provides light for photosynthesis
• Soil: Provides minerals and nutrients for
plants(producers) to grow.
• Water: Helps in photosynthesis, hydration
of flora and fauna, maintains optimum
temperature.
• Air: Provides CO2 photosynthesis and O2
for respiration
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Biotic Factors
• Producers: Plants that are source of food
and/or O2
• Primary Consumers: Herbivores that feed
on producers
• Secondary Consumers: Carnivores that
feed on primary consumers and/or other
secondary consumers.
• Decomposers: Organisms that decompose
dead matter and supply minerals.
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 DECIDUOUS FORESTS TROPICAL RAINFOREST

Trees here have large, These trees grow in

flat leaves that drop places that are hot
off in the fall and new and wet all year.
leaves grow in spring

Leaves change The forest has three

colour with the layers: canopy,
seasons understory, forest
floor.

These grow in places Trees are very tall and

with hot, wet leaves are always
summers and cool, green
dry winters.
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COASTAL CONIFEROUS
FORESTS FOREST
Grows in places Grows in places with
where there is lots of very cold winters
rain. and cool summers.

Temperature is not The leaves look like

too hot or too cold, needles so they
just cool. don’t need much
water

Has three layers: Seeds grow in cones.

canopy, understory, Get less rain than all
forest floor the other forests
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Hill Slope Ecosystem

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 FOREST ECOSYSTEM

Hillslopes constitute the flanks of

valleys and the margins of eroding
uplands. They are the major zones
where rock and soil are loosened by
weathering processes and then
transported down gradient, often to a
river channel.

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What are Hills?
A hill is a natural rise of the Earth’s surface. Generally, it is less than 600 metres high: it is lower
than a mountain and has a less sharp shape.
Some hills (so-called building hills) originated from the deposit of debris (rocky or sandy)
transported by the glaciers (morainal hills) or by the wind (sandy dunes). Volcanic- origin hills
are part of this group (there are some in Campania and Lazio). They originated from the material
that erupted from the volcanoes in central Italy. Other hills (so-called destruction hills) originated
from the erosion of areas on the Earth’s surface that were originally higher. A hilly landscape is
characterized by vineyards, olive trees, or poplars that demonstrate the high fertility of these
lands. It is often possible to see that hilly landscapes have been modified by the presence of
men: several towns and roads have been built on hilltops or along the hillsides (for example in
Loreto and Urbino).

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 Two major kind of Hill Slopes
BEDROCK Soil-Mantled
SOIL PRODUCTION < EROSION SOIL PRODUCTION ≥ EROSION

Little To No Soil Cover With Surficial Layer Of Soil Covers

Bedrock At Surface Bedrock

Sediment Transport Is Sediment Transport Is

Weathering Limited Transport Limited

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 HILLSLOPE ENVIRONMENTS
❧ Hillslopes are an integral part of the drainage
basin system, delivering water and sediment to
streams. They range from flat to steep. Commonly,
hillslopes form catenas – sequences of linked
slope units running from drainage divide to valley
floor. Given that climate, vegetation, lithology, and
geological structure vary so much from place to
place, it is not surprising that hillslope processes
also vary in different settings and that hillslopes
have a rich diversity of forms.

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AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM
We will discuss two aquatic systems
in this presentation:
• RIVERS
• PONDS
 RIVER ECOSYSTEM
The ecology of the river refers to the relationships
that living organisms have with each other and with
their environment – the ecosystem. An ecosystem is
the sum of interactions between plants, animals
and microorganisms and between them and non-
living physical and chemical components in a
particular natural environment.

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RIVER ECOSYSTEMS HAVE:
WATER FLOW
Water flow is the main factor that
makes river ecology different
from other water ecosystems.
This is known as a lotic (flowing
water) system. The strength of
water flow varies from torrential
rapids to slow backwaters. The
speed of water also varies and is
subject to chaotic turbulence.
Flow can be affected by sudden
water input from snowmelt, rain
and groundwater. Water flow can
alter the shape of riverbeds
through erosion and sedimentatio
n, creating a variety of
changing habitats.
SUBSTRATE
The substrate is the surface on
which the river organisms live. It
may be inorganic, consisting of
geological material from
the catchment area such as
boulders, pebbles, gravel, sand
or silt, or it may be organic,
including fine particles, leaves,
wood, moss and plants. Substrate
is generally not permanent and is
subject to large changes during
flooding events.
LIGHT
Light provides energy
for photosynthesis, which
produces the primary food source
for the river. It also provides
refuges for prey species in
the shadows it casts. The amount
of light received in a flowing
waterway is variable, for
example, depending on whether
it’s a stream within a forest
shaded by overhanging trees or a
wide exposed river where the Sun
has open access to its surface.
Deep rivers tend to be more
turbulent, and particles in the
water increasingly weaken light
penetration as depth increases.
TEMPERATURE
Water temperature in rivers varies
with the environment. Water can
be heated or cooled
through radiation at the surface
and conduction to or from the air
and surrounding substrate.
Temperature differences can be
significant between the surface
and the bottom of deep, slow-
moving rivers. Climate, shading
and elevation all affect water
temperature. Species living in
these environments are called
poikilotherms – their internal
temperature varies to suit their
environmental conditions.
CONTD…. =>
 FISH
The ability of fish to live in a
river system depends on their
speed and duration of that speed –
it takes enormous energy to swim
against a current. This ability
varies and is related to the area of
habitat the fish may occupy in the
river. Most fish tend to remain
close to the bottom, the banks or
behind obstacles, swimming in
the current only to feed or change
location. Some species never go
into the current. Most river
systems are typically connected to
other lotic systems
(springs, wetlands, waterways,
streams, oceans), and many fish
have life cycles that require
stages in other systems. Eels, for
example, move between
freshwater and saltwater. Fish are
important consumers and prey
species.
PLANTS
Plants photosynthesize –
converting light energy from the
Sun into chemical energy that can
be used to fuel organisms’
activities. Plants are most
successful in slower currents.
Some plants such as mosses
attach themselves to solid objects.
Some plants are free-floating such
as duckweed or water hyacinth.
Others are rooted in areas of
reduced current where sediment is
found. Water currents provide
oxygen and nutrients for plants.
Plants protect animals from the
current and predators and provide
a food source.
BIRDS BACTERIA
Invertebrates have no backbone Bacteria are present in large
or spinal column and include numbers in river waters. They
crayfish, snails, limpets, clams play a significant role in energy
and mussels found in rivers. A recycling. Bacteria decompose
large number of the invertebrates organic material into inorganic
in river systems are insects. They compounds that can be used by
can be found in almost every plants and by other microbes.
available habitat – on the water
surface, on and under stones, in
or below the substrate or adrift in
the current. Some avoid high
currents by living in the substrate
area, while others have adapted
by living on the sheltered
downstream side of rocks. They
are both consumers and prey in
river systems.
 POND ECOSYSTEM
Ponds are artificial or natural body of water. Well ecosystem is
technical term for community of organisms. Pond Ecosystem refers
to fresh water ecosystem on which different organisms depend for
their survival and to fulfill their nutritional needs as well. The
ponds are the water bodies which are usually of 12-15 feet deep in
which the sun rays can reach which results into growing of plants
down there. The components of pond ecosystem include both biotic
and abiotic components. Biotic components consist of producers,
consumers and decomposer whereas abiotic components include
organic and inorganic materials. It should be noted that biotic
components follow a food chain.

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 TYPES
Pond Ecosystem falls in fresh water ecosystem which is further divided into
three parts which are littoral zone, open water zone and deep water zone. The
littoral zone is a zone which is an area near the shore where sunlight follows
it way down and allows the plants to grow. Open water zone which actually is
well known as pelagic zone. It is that zone where water is not close to the
bottom nor near the shore. The last is the deep water zone which is the lowest
level lying above the sea and below the thermocline. This three types can be
understood deeply. Some differentiate Pond Ecosystem in other way. It is
classified in five types which are salt ponds, garden ponds, freshwater ponds,
vernal ponds and underground ponds. Salt ponds are one which are near the
sea side and consist brackish water. Garden ponds are those which are
artificial in nature. Freshwater pool can form anywhere because of rains.
Vernal ponds are those which are created because of depression in the ground
and are seasonal. Lastly underground ponds which are created near the rocks.
 CHARACTERISTICS
Pond Ecosystem are the balance of fish, bacteria and plants
which together support each other. Pond Ecosystem works on
ponds which are shallow enough for the sunlight to pass through
it. It is a living ecosystem itself. Ponds do not have universally
accepted standard of it’s maximum size. Ponds are wet and are
surrounded by artificial and natural banks. The ponds provide
inhabitation to wetland plant and animals. Pond works with a
combination of three food webs at a time. There exist a type of
pond where no trace of fishes is to be seen. This type of ponds
are known as vernal ponds. These type of ponds inhabitant rare
and endangered plant species.

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