Ecosystem and Bio-diversity

Ecosystem:
Definition,
types,
structure of ecosystem (biotic and
abiotic components) and
functions of an Ecosystem – Energy
flow,
Food chains, food web,
ecological pyramids and
Ecological succession.
Bio-diversity and its Conservation:
Definition
- Genetic, Species and Ecosystem
diversity
- value of biodiversity
- Hotspots of biodiversity in India
- Threats to biodiversity
- conservation of biodiversity (In-situ
and Ex-situ conservation).
The study of an interaction of human being
with other animals, plants, soil, water, etc
is known as ecology. Basic unit of ecology
is known as ecosystem (Or)
Eco-system has been defined as “A system
of interaction of organism with one
another and their surrounding” The
interaction between them regarding
energy, nutrients etc
Eg: Forest, river, Mountain, grassland,
Garden, lakes,, deserts, ponds, etc.,
Characteristics of Ecosystem: -
• Eco-system is a fundamental unit of
Ecology.
• It consists both biotic and abiotic
components.
• The function of ecosystem is cycling of
materials and flow of energy.
• The boundary of ecosystem is not
rigidly/stable defined and it is flexible.
• The amount of energy needed to maint-
ain an eco-system depends on its structure
* The energy flows from the sun and
continues through the chain of
ecosystems, this sustains the life.
• As a result of human activities, flow
of energy & nutrients are disturbed.
There are two types of ecosystems
a) Open ecosystem (exchange energy
freely with surrounding)
b) closed (isolated, doesn‟t exchanges)
1. Natural Ecosystem: -
These are developed and govern by the
nature. These are capable of operating
and maintaining themselves without
any human interaction.
Eg: Forest, ocean, River, desert.
On the basis of type of habitat these
are sub-divided into 2 types.
a. Terrestrial Ecosystem
b. Aquatic Ecosystem
2. Artificial Ecosystem: -
These are created and maintained by
man for his different needs and
desires. The man has to control biotic
community as well as physical and
chemical environment.
Eg: Agriculture land, Garden,
Aquaculture pond, Aquarium, etc.,
The total life supporting systems are
classified into i) Biotic (living) and
ii) Abiotic components (non-living)
Biotic component:
This comprises of plants, animals,
micro organisms etc.
Based on nutrition criteria, they are
classified as follows a . Producers
b. Consumers
c. Decomposers
i) Producers: These can synthesize food
materials by own. They are also known
as „photo autotrophs‟ (photo-light;
auto-self; trophs-food)
Eg: Green plants synthesize food materials
with the help of (O2, H2O, Chlorophyll) in
the presence of sunlight.
Some microorganisms can also
produce organic matter by the
oxidation of some chemicals in the
absence of sunlight and so known as
chemosynthetic organisms (or) chemo-
autotrophs.
Eg: Sulphur bacteria in deep oceans
oxidise H2S & CO2 in the absence of
sunlight with the help of heat into
organic compounds
ii) Consumers: These cannot synthesis food
materials and depend on producers for
food. They are of following types
depending upon the level.
a) Herbivores (plant eaters)
b) Carnivores (meat eaters)
c) Omnivores
d) Detritivores
a) Herbivores (plant eaters):
They are known as primary consumers or
they feed directly on producers.
Eg: rabbit, insect, man etc.
b) Carnivores (meat eaters):
These are known as secondary consumers
as depend on herbivores for food
materials. Eg: frog.
If they depend on other carnivores, they
are known as tertiary consumers/
secondary carnivores. Eg: snake, big fish, etc.
c) Omnivores:
They feed on all of them (primary,
secondary and tertiary consumers)
Eg: man, rat, fox, birds, etc.
d) Detritivores:
They feed on dead organisms, wastes of
living organisms & their cast-off‟s and
partially decomposed matter. Eg: beetles,
crabs, earth worms, etc.
iii) Decomposers:
These convert complex organic molecules
into simple ones, finally to inorganic matter
and derive the energy from them.
Eg: bacteria, fungi, etc.
II) Abiotic component:
Ecosystems are driven by abiotic factors
and play a key role. It includes physical &
chemical components.
They are climatic condition, soil conditions,
energy, nutrients, geographical factor and
toxic substances.
i) Physical factors:
ii) Chemical factors:
i) Physical factors:
Sunlight & shade, intensity of solar flux,
duration of sunlight, average temperature
from maximum & minimum, annual
rainfall, wind, latitude, soil type, water
availability, water currents etc.

ii) Chemical factors:

They include major essential nutrients
(C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Ca, Mg), salts, organic
matter etc, influences eco system
Functioning of ecosystems:
Under natural conditions, ecosystem
performs in a systematic way. Flow of energy
is undisturbed until on external force acts on
it. Apart from energy, nutrients and water
also required for life process in biotic
components. The functional attributes are:
i. Trophical structure(food chain & food webs)
ii. Flow of energy. iii.Nutrient‟s cycle.
iv. Primary & secondary production.
v. Regulation & development of ecosystem.
Energy flow in an ecosystem: The energy flows
is unidirectional as flows from one trophic level
to the other in single direction. In contrast with
this nutrients flows in cyclic path. The flow of
energy obeys 1 st &2nd law of thermodynamics.
1 st law of thermodynamics:
It states that “energy can neither be created nor
be destroyed but can be transformed from one
form to another”.
Eg: Plants capture solar energy and converts
into biochemical energy and which are
consumed by the successive level
2 nd law of thermodynamics: It states that
“the energy is dissipated (on dispersed as
it is used).
In clear the energy is dispersed into less
concentrated medium (from more
concentrated ones).
Eg: At each trophic level 90% of the energy
is wasted (for locomotion, respiration, etc)
and the remaining only 10% of energy is
transferred to successive trophic levels.
Energy flow – models:
To explain flow of energy, the following models
are proposed.
a) Universal energy flow model: Normally, as
energy flows from one form to other, some
amount of energy is wasted. Similarly as the
energy flows from one level to the other, some
amount of energy is wasted and there is
availability of less energy for the next level. The
loss of energy is due to excretion, locomotion,
respiration, unutilization, etc. The only
remaining energy is used for production.
So the energy flow in the form of pipes
becomes narrow & narrow as they move from
higher trophic level to the lower ones.
b) Single energy channel flow model:
In this model energy flows in a unidirectional
way similar to that of food chain and not food
web. As usual the energy is wasted as it moves
from one level to another level. Flow of energy
is from produces to carnivores.
Double channel (or) y-shaped energy model:
In nature, both grazing and detritus food chains
operate together leading to the y-shaped
energy model.
Eg: 1. Marine ecosystem- In this ecosystem
major portion of the energy is deviated to
grazing food chain and some portion to detritus
food chain.
2. Forest ecosystem- In this ecosystem major is
passed to detritus and little amount to grazing
food chain.
Trophical structure:
The producers and consumers are arranged
in a definite order along with their
interaction including population size are
expressed together as trophic structure.
Each food level is known as trophic level &
amount of living matter in each level is
known as standing biomass
a) Food chains:
The sequence of flow of energy (eating and
being eaten) from producers
to consumers in an ecosystem is called food
chain.
Eg:1) Plant leaf Catter pillarSparrow
(decomposes all dead organisms by
decomposers)
2) Grass --Grass hopper ---- Frog - Snake
-Hawk (grassland ecosystem)
3) Phytoplankton -- Water fleas - Small fish
--- Tuna fish (pond
ecosystem)
4) Liches - Reinder ----Man (artic tundra)
From the above fig. It is clear that each level of
organisms depends on other for food material
Types of food chains:
a) grazing food chain.
b) Detritus food chains.
a) Grazing food chain: It starts with primary
producers (green plants) and ends
with secondary (or) tertiary consumers
(carnivores)
Eg: Phytoplankton ---Zooplankton ----Small
fish --Large fish (algae,diatoms)
Grass--Rabbit ---Fox.
b) Detritus food chain: It starts with death &
decay matter, followed by
detritivores and decomposers.
Eg: Phytoplankton -Detritus feeders -
Carnivores.
\ /
Decomposers
Thus for grazing food chain energy is obtained
from plants but for detritus, it is obtained from
biomass of plants. Grazing food chain
dominates over detritus
Food web:
Food chain has linear structure, but this has
network structure. “The different organisms of
different trophic levels are connected through a
network in which there are multi-options for
eating and being eaten is called food web”. In
trophical ecosystems, the food webs are more
complex due to rich in species diversity
Reason for evolution of food web: In a linear
food chain, if one species becomes extinct, then
there will be no food for the preceding ones. So
in search of food material, it diverted and which
led to the evolution of food web. In a food web
an organism has multiple options for
consumption and also for being consumed.
Eg: Cladoria---Reindeer----Man.
Grass----Caribou ----Wolf.
If due to some reasons reindeer & caribou
becomes endangered, the man (or) wolf finds
food with other any trophic levels.
Significance of food chains & food web:
1) Both food chain & webs plays a key role in
the flow of energy & nutrients in the ecosystem.
2) The ecological balance of population size of
trophic level is maintained constantly by food
chains
3)Food chain shows a specific property known
as “biomagnifications
Bio magnification: The increase in the conce-
ntration of pesticides, toxic chemicals, heavy
metals from lower level of the food chain to the
highest level is known as biomagnification.
Ecological pyramids: “The graphical
representation of trophic structure and function
of an ecosystem starting with producers and
followed by successive levels is known as
ecological pyramids”. There are three types:
1) Pyramid of numbers: In this type, it indicates
the number of individuals present in that
particular trophic level. This may be upright (or)
inverted.
a) Upright pyramid – grass land ecosystem.
b) Inverted pyramid- parasitic food chain.
c) Broader in middle and narrow on sides- forest
ecosystem
2) Pyramid of biomass:
In this type, it indicates the total biomass at
each trophic level.
This also may be upright (or) inverted.
a) Forest ecosystem- upright.
b) Pond ecosystem – inverted.
3) Pyramid of energy:
In this type, it indicates the amount of energy
associated in each trophic level and it is always
upright because some amount of energy is
wasted as it flows from one trophic level to the
other
Ecological succession:-
change of ecosystem with time &
environmental conditions
An ecosystem is not constant in nature and
changes with time and other factors, and the
change also can be predicted.
>During the course time one type of
community is replaced by another community
with several changes is known as ecological
succession.
Ecological succession is defined as “an orderly
process of changes in the community structure
and function with time and ultimately to higher
point by modification in the physical
environment resulting in stabilized ecosystem”.
The whole sequence of communities is known
as several stages (or) serves and the first one is
known as pioneer community
Process of succession: The process of
succession takes place in a systematic order.
1) Nudation
2) Invasion
3) Competition and coaction
4) Reaction
5) Stabilisation
1) Nudation: development of barren land.
Reasons: Landslides, volcanic eruption,
drought conditions, glaciers, frost, over
grazing, disease outbreak, agricultural,
industrial activities, etc.
2) Invasion:
Successful establishment of one (or) more
species in barren land through dispersal (or)
migration.
Eg: dispersal of seeds, spores etc by wind, a
water, insects, birds, etc. (seeds, germinates and
becomes pioneer species)
3) Competition and coaction:
Due to increase in the population, there arises
completion between the species and also within
the species for different reasons like water,
space, nutrition etc. This influence such other in
many ways known as coactions.
4) Reaction:
Due to influence of environmental factors such
as water, nutrients etc, the organisms gets
modified and this is known as reaction. The
reaction may be favourable for new species and
unfavourable for old species and which tends to
replace it by which it deeds to seral
communities.
5) Stabilisation:
The succession reaches to highest point of
more (or) less stable community which is
equilibrium with environment.
The climax community have maximum biomass
and mutual benfit among the organism.