Hiriya School 2011- Science Students

Ecology
Learning Objectives
 State that the sun is the principal source of energy input to the biological systems.
 Describe the non-cyclical nature of the energy flow
 Define the following terms and establish the relationships of each in food webs.
- Producer
- Consumer
- Herbivore
- Carnivore
- Decomposer
- Food Chain
 Describe energy losses between trophic levels and infer the advantages and
disadvantages of short food chains.
 Describe and interpret pyramids of number and pyramids of biomass.

Ecology
Ecology is the branch of biology that studies relationships between living organisms and the
non-living components of the environment in which they live.

Organisms’ interactions may be competitive or beneficial. Organisms may interact with one
another in several ways. Some of these relationships include Producer-Consumer, Predator-
Prey, and Parasite-Host relationships.

Ecological Terms
1) Species: Closely related organisms which can interbreed to produce fertile young
offspring.
Example: - Mouse

2) Population: A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular area.

Example: - A group of mice.

3) Community: An assemblage of all the living organisms of different species living in a

particular area.
Example: - A group of mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and small birds, living on a huge oak
tree (habitat).

4) Ecosystem: The basic functional unit of nature, including the different communities and
the non-living environment in an area. In other words, it is a unit of space in which all
the biotic and abiotic factors interact in a balanced manner so that energy flow is
maintained.
Example: - A group of mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and small birds, living on a huge oak
tree, along with the air, soil, sunlight, etc. in that area.

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5) Biome: A collection of similar ecosystems extending over a large natural area.

Example: - A rainforest. (Includes the emergent, canopy, understory and forest floor
ecosystems. (Visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest for more information))

6) Biosphere: Part of the earth and its atmosphere inhabited by organisms (All the biomes
combined together).
7) Habitat: The place in which an organism lives. Hence, the place in which the organism
feeds and breeds.
Example: - Ocean, Fresh Water (Rivers, ponds, lakes, etc.), Terrestrial (Land), Estuarine
(Mouth of the river, partly salt water and partly fresh water).
8) Ecological niche: The role played by an organism in an ecosystem. It is the way of life,
which enables species to occupy a particular place within a community and maintain
the ecological balance.
Example: - How it finds food, the type of food it eats, etc.

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Levels of Organisation

Types of Ecosystems
 Natural Ecosystems
Natural ecosystems operate by themselves under natural conditions without any major
interference by man. Based upon the particular kind of habitat, these are further divided as:

1. Terrestrial e.g. forest, grassland, desert

2. Aquatic which is further distinguished as:

- Freshwater which may be spring, stream or river lake, pond, pools, ditch, swamp, etc.
- Marine, e.g. sea or ocean (deep bodies) and estuary (shallow bodies).

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 Artificial Ecosystems
Artificial Ecosystems are also called man-made or man-engineered ecosystems. They
are maintained artificially by man where, by addition of energy and planned
manipulation, natural balance is disturbed regularly, e.g. croplands such as sugarcane,
maize, wheat, rice-fields; orchards, gardens, villages, cities, dams, aquarium and
manned spaceship.

Components of the Ecosystem

Each distinct ecosystem consists of two major components: Abiotic components and biotic
components.

Abiotic components
Abiotic components include:

 Inorganic substances such as chemical substances like oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and
compounds such as carbon dioxide and water.
 Organic substances such as potentially nutritional chemical compounds like proteins, humus,
fats.
 Climatic factors such as the temperature, humidity, light, etc.

Biotic components
Biotic components are the organisms that live in the ecosystem and interact with one another to
sustain the biome.

There are three types of biotic components:

 Producers - capable of making their own organic sustenance, such as trees.

These are green plants which synthesize their own food by photosynthesis. The green plants
convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy in glucose. All the other organisms
use chemical energy stored in the plants in the form of food.

 Consumers - unable to make their own food and dependent on the other biotic
components for feeding.
These are animals that are directly or indirectly dependant on the producers. Based on the
dependence, they can be grouped again into primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, etc.

 Decomposers - those organisms that live on the dead animals and plants in the
ecosystem.
These include microbes such as bacteria, fungi etc. They depend on dead and decaying
organic matter. They secrete enzymes which break down the complex dead bodies of plants
and animals into simple forms which can be easily absorbed. During this process, many
simple substances like phosphates and nitrates are produced which can be absorbed and
used by producers. Hence decomposers are also called transformers. In certain ecosystems
there can also be the involvement of scavengers or detritivores. They feed on detritus (dead
plants and animals) and break them down. E.g. –Earthworm, Millipede, Woodlice, etc.

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Food Chains
A food chain is a series of organisms through which energy is transferred from one organism to
another as one is eaten by another.

The prime source of energy is always the sun.

Sun Grass Grasshopper Frog Snake Hawk

Producers are always at the start of the food chain. Top carnivore is at the end.

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Food Webs
A food web consists of two or more food chains interlinked together.

Food Chains in this food Web:

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Food Cycles
Food cycles are formed when decomposers are added to the food chains.

All of the organism die and are decomposed by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The
organic matter is broken down into simple substances such as nitrates and phosphates. These
substances are left behind in the soil, and used up by plants again.

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Trophic Levels
The energy levels in an ecosystem are called trophic levels. The producer forms the first trophic
level. The primary consumer forms the second trophic level, and so on.

4th Trophic
Level

3rd Trophic
Level

2nd Trophic
Level

1ST Trophic Level

Advantages of Short Food Chains

 Less number of trophic levels

 More amount of energy transferred to higher trophic level.

Ecological Pyramids
The ecological pyramids are a graphical representation of the nutritional relationship and the
energy flow from one trophic level to another in the ecosystem. The producers form the base
and the consumers from the subsequent tiers of the pyramid.

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1) Pyramid of Number
This is a type of ecological pyramid in which the number of organisms in each trophic
level is represented diagrammatically. The widths of the bars represent the number of
organisms at each trophic level.

2) Pyramids of biomass
A pyramid of biomass is a pyramid constructed using the dry mass of the organisms at
each trophic level in a food chain.

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Energy Flow in an Ecosystem

The ultimate source of energy is the sun. The energy enters the ecosystem in the form of light.
About 95% to 99% of energy is lost into the atmosphere by conduction, convection and
radiation. Plants trap the remaining 1-5% of the light energy by the green pigment called
chlorophyll present in the chloroplasts, and use this energy for photosynthesis. Thus green
plants convert light energy into chemical energy. This energy is stored in the plant biomass and
is used by other organisms when they eat the plant.

When a plant is consumed by an animal, 30% of the energy acquired is lost as heat in
respiration. 60% is lost as excretory wastes and faecal material, and only 10% is used for
growth.

A similar loss of energy happens at every stage of the food chain.

The energy passes through the ecosystem in the form of a food chain. The primary consumers
obtain their energy from the producers. About 90% of this energy is lost in excretion, egestion
and respiration. The remaining 10% is stored as the animal biomass, which can be transferred
to the next trophic level. The secondary consumers obtain this energy when they feed on the
primary consumers. They also lose 90% of the energy and store 10% of the energy in biomass
which can be transferred to the next trophic level. Thus, by eating and being eaten, energy
passes through an ecosystem. However, less energy is available the further we go up the food
chain.

If we want to eat an energy efficient diet, we should eat from low down the food chain. Eat the
plants rather than the herbivores.

When organisms die, the decomposers break down the organic matter into inorganic materials,
which can be used by the plants. By this process, energy is lost from the ecosystem in the form
of heat. SO, ENERGY IS NOT RECYCLED IN THE ECOSYSTEM.

*************** Good Luck!! *************

-Raudha Athif

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