GEC131

People and the Earth’s Ecosystem

Dr. Romeo M. Lomoljo

Faculty
College of Forestry and
Environmental Studies
Lecture 1
Understanding the
Biosphere and Its
Functional Unit –
The Ecosystem
Outline:
1. The nature of ecosystem
2. Types of ecosystem
3. Ecosystem Principles
4. Ecosystem Functions and Processes
5. Ecosystem Services
Earth System

Lithosphere
Geosphere/Lithosphere
• A rigid, rocky outer
layer of the Earth,
consisting of the crust
and the solid
outermost layer of the
upper mantle.
• It extends to a depth of
about 60 miles
(100km).
Atmosphere
• A layer of gases
surrounding our
planet.
• Nitrogen and oxygen
account for 99 percent
of the gases in dry air,
with argon, carbon
dioxide, helium, neon,
and other gases
making up minute
portions.
Hydrosphere
• Includes water that is
on the surface of the
planet, underground,
and in the air.
Biosphere
• Is a global ecosystem
composed of living
organisms (biota) and
the abiotic (nonliving)
factors from which
they derive energy and
nutrients.
 Environment (before the 3rd industrial revolution) –
refers to the normal conditions at home, in school, or
Concept of the in their workplace.
However, with the publication of:
Environment
• “Silent spring” (Carson, 1962) – about the
negative environmental effects cause by pesticides.
• “Tragedy of the Commons” (Hardin, 1968) – about
the global commons experiencing environmental
stress
As well as the occurrence of major environmental disasters
• Typhoon Haiyan “Yolanda” that affected 16
million people in the Philippines (WHO Western
Pacific, 2013)

The environment is now an issue for our

survival.
 Environment
• (OECD, 2005) is the totality of all the
Concept of the external conditions affecting the life,
Environment development and survival of an organisms.
• In context, it refers to the naturally
produced physical surroundings on which
we are entirely dependent.
 Level of Biological
Organization Hierarchy
Ecosphere

Biomes

Ecosystem
Earth Science
Communities Hierarchy
Population

Organism

Organ Systems

Organs

Tissues Biological
Hierarchy
Cells

Molecules

Atoms
 Level of Biological
Organization Hierarchy
Ecosphere - Largest and most nearly self-sufficient biological system

Biomes - Large scale areas of similar vegetation and climatic characteristics

Ecosystem - The community and non-living environment that function together in a particular area.

Communities - Two or more populations of different species that occupy the same space at the same time.

Population - Multiple individuals or organisms of a single species that live with in a particular geographic area.

Organism - Describes an individual.

Ecosystem
- Is the first unit in ecological hierarchy that is complete – that has all the components
(biological and physical) necessary for survival.

The structural component of an ecosystem:

Five Major Attribute of Ecosystem
1. The attribute of structure – ecosystems are made up of biotic and abiotic
subcomponents.
Example: Terrestrial ecosystem consist of a complex biotic community, together with soil
and atmosphere, a source of energy (sun), and a supply of water.

2. The attribute of function – the constant exchange of matter and energy between
the physical environment and the living community.

3. The attribute of complexity – which results from the high level of biological
integration that is inherent in an ecosystem.
Example: All events and condition in an ecosystem are governed by multiple determinism.
They are difficult to predict without a considerable knowledge of the structure and
functional processes of the system.
Five Major Attribute of Ecosystem
4. The attribute of interaction and interdependence – is the interconnectedness of
various living and non-living components of the ecosystem that a change in one will
result in a subsequent change in almost all the others.

5. The attribute of temporal change – Ecosystems are not static, unchanging

systems. In addition to the continuous exchange of matter and energy, the entire
structure and function of an ecosystem undergoes change over time.
Ecosystem
Biotic Matter Abiotic
Energy
(Living) (Non-living)

“Inseparably interrelated and interact with each other”

Odum and Barrett – Any unit that includes all the organisms (the biotic community)
in a given area interacting with the physical environment so that the flow of energy
leads to clearly defined biotic structures and cycling of materials between living and
non-living components is an “ecological system” or “ecosystem”.
Characteristics of Living and Nonliving Things
Living Things:
• Exhibit locomotory motion
• Respire
• Sensitive to touch and have the capability to sense changes in their
environment.
• Grow
• Capable of producing offspring of their own kind (reproduction)
• Acquire and fulfill their nutritional requirements to survive
Characteristics of Living and Nonliving Things
Non-living Things:
• Lifeless
• No metabolic activities
• Do not have a definite and certain size of their own
• Grow by accretion
• Fundamental life processes are absent
 It is a functional system unit, with inputs and outputs,
and boundaries that can be either natural or arbitrary.
Ecosystem
 Source of Source of
materials organic
(nutrients) matter
Export

S – storage
A – autotrophs
H – heterotrophs
Trophic Structure of the Ecosystem
• Trophic
structure (from
trophe –
“nourishment”)

Sun is the original

source of energy
in most
ecosystem.
Major Divisions of Organism based on Energy Source
Autotrophs
SUN • Self-feeding or self-nourisher
• Referred to as producers
2 subtypes:
• Photoautotrophs – organisms that utilize a portion of the electromagnetic energy from the sun
(sunlight) in the process of photosynthesis.
• Chemoautotrophs – are organisms that obtain their energy from simple inorganic chemicals.
Heterotrophs
• Nourished by others
• Referred to as consumers
4 subtypes:
• Herbivores (primary consumers) – organisms that feed on plants, algae, or
photosynthetic bacteria
Ladybug • Carnivores (secondary, tertiary consumers)– or meat-eaters, that feed directly on
herbivores
• Omnivores (high order consumers)– feed on both plants and animals
• Saprotrophs (sapro – “to decompose”) or decomposers - obtain their energy by breaking
down dead tissues or by absorbing dissolve organic matter extracted from plants and
other organisms
Ecological Pyramids
• Are simplified representation of energy flow, representing trophic web as
a series of stages or trophic levels in the transfer of energy through the
system.

Tertiary Consumers (Apex)

1
Primary and
Secondary Consumers 10

Producers 100
Major Divisions of Organism based on Energy Source
SUN

Ladybug
Food Chain
• A highly ordered sequence of energy or trophic dependencies within an
SUN
ecosystem. It involve a sequence from:

Producers

Herbivores

Ladybug

Carnivores
Food Web
• Is the natural interconnection of food chain and a graphical
SUN
representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community.

Food chain and food web are link examples that

are the foundation of the balance in the natural
world.
 These links also explain the two
laws of ecology:
1. ‘we can never do any one thing in
nature’ (because a single human disturbance
Ladybug in nature could lead to a cascade of
impacts); and
2. that ‘in nature everything is
connected with everything else’.
Interactions of Biotic Components
Herbivory
Predation
Competition
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Competition
Types of Ecosystem
1. Terrestrial Ecosystem
2. Aquatic Ecosystem
Terrestrial Ecosystem
• Are exclusive land-based ecosystem.

Different types of terrestrial ecosystem distributed around various

geological zones.
1. Forest Ecosystem
2. Grassland Ecosystem
3. Tundra Ecosystem
4. Desert Ecosystem
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Forest Ecosystem
- Forest help in maintaining the temperature of the earth and are
the major carbon sink.
- The classification is as per the respective climate:
• Temperate Forest Ecosystem – have flora of coniferous
type, deciduous type or a combination of both the types.
• Rainforest Ecosystem (in the tropics) – have the most
diverse plant and animal ecosystem than any other region
on the earth.
• Boreal forest – are featured in the far north, with a rich
population of the coniferous trees, known as the taiga.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Grassland Ecosystem
- The vegetation is dominated by grasses and herbs.
- Some examples of grassland ecosystem:
• Temperate grassland
• Savanna
• Prairies
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Tundra Ecosystem
- Are devoid of trees and are found in cold climates or where
rainfall is scarce.
- Covered with snow for most of the year.
- It is characterized by harsh environmental conditions similar to
deserts and is usually windswept, snow-covered and treeless.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Desserts
- These are regions with very little rainfall.
- The most defining feature of this ecosystem is the amount of
precipitation it receives, which is the least as compared to any
ecosystem.
- Flora is very rare but highly adaptive animal species and
insects are found here.
Aquatic Ecosystem
• Are ecosystems present in a body of water.
• Two types:
- Freshwater ecosystem
- Marine ecosystem
Aquatic Ecosystem
Freshwater Ecosystem
- is an aquatic ecosystem that includes lakes, ponds, rivers,
streams and wetlands.
Marine Ecosystem
- includes seas and oceans.
- have a more substantial salt content and greater biodiversity in
comparison to the freshwater ecosystem.
- marine enclose not only the oceanic bed but also the tidal
zones, salt marshes, estuaries, saltwater swamps, coral reef,
mangroves etc.
What Does Ecosystem Provide?
• Services which nature provides us with, and which contribute to human well-
being.
• Ecosystem services can be defined as:
- the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems.
- the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystem to human wellbeing.
Four ecosystem services:
1. Provisioning
2. Regulating
3. Supporting
4. Cultural Ecosystem Services
Provisioning
• Any type of benefits to people that can be extracted from nature.
Regulating
• Describe the ways in which living organisms can mediate or moderate their
environment in ways that benefit human well-being.
Supporting
• Services that are necessary for the maintenance of all other ecosystem
services.
Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)
• Are the non-material benefits people obtain from nature.
• They contribute to a sense of place, foster social cohesion and are essentials
for human health and well-being.
Activity 1
Individual
Create a model of an ecosystem assigned to your group.
Group
Make a graphic organizer of an ecosystem assign to your group.
Report your model.

Ecosystems:
1. Lake Ecosystem 2. Coral Reef Ecosystem
3. Mangrove Ecosystem 4. Forest Ecosystem
5. Grassland Ecosystem 6. Dessert Ecosystem
Activity 1