INTRODUCION

An ecosystem comprises of all the living things like plants, animals

and organism in a given area constantly interacting with each other,
and also with their non-living environments like, weather, sun soil,
climate and atmosphere etc. In an ecosystem, all living organism have
their respective roles to play and within their own environment their
depended on each other directly or indirectly. such dependence
actually keeps ecological balance of the environment. An example
may clear the matter, in a puddle one may find lot of organisms like
aquatic and non-aquatic flora and fauna, insects, amphibians like toad,
tadpole, fishes and many more. These living organisms are dependent
on non-living things like sunlight, water , temperature, nutrients in the
flora and fauna, atmospheric pressure etc. these complex but very
clear in interaction among living organism or biotic factors and non-
living things or abiotic factors helps to preserve the balance of carbon
and nitrogen in the environment. Thus these interactions are the
foundation of ecosystem. Scarcity of any one of these ecological
factor may disrupt the overall balance of ecosystem.
According to A.G.Tansley (1935) ecosystem is defined as “the whole
system of physical factors forming what we call the environment”.
Ecosystem is the major ecological unit. It has both structure and
functions. The structure is related to species diversity. The more
complex is the structure the greater is the diversity of the species in
the ecosystem are related to the flow of energy and cycling of
material through structural components of the ecosystem.

Structure of the ecosystem:

The structure of an ecosystem is basically a description of the
organisms and physical feature of the environment including the
amount and distribution of nutrients in a particular habitat. It also
provides information regarding the range of climatic conditions
prevailing in the area. From the structure point of view, all
ecosystems consist of the following basic components:

Abiotic components:
These include the non-living or physio-chemical factors like air, soil,
water and the basic compounds and elements of the environment.
It is classified broadly under three categories:
a. Climatic factors including the climatic regime with physical
factors in the environment such as light, atmospheric
temperature, wind, humidity, etc
b. Edaphic factors, which relate to the composition and structure of
the soil like its chemical and physical properties- like the soil
type, soil profile, organic matter, soil water and soil organisms.
c. Inorganic substance like water, carbon, sulphr, nitrogen, and so
on. Organic substance like proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, humic
substance, etc

Biotic components:
The biotic components includes all living organisms present in the
environmental system. From nutrition point of point of view, the
biotic components is grouped into two components:
a. Autotrophs – (from greek: auto- self, trophs- feeder) are called
producers, transducers or convertors, as well. Those are
photosynthetic plants, normally chlorophyll bearing, which
synthesise a high-energy complex organic compound (or food)
from the inorganic raw materials utilizing the aid of the sunt,
and this process is called photosynthesis. Autotrophs from the
core of all biotic systems.
b. Heterotrophs (from greek: other, trophs – feeder) are the
consumers, normally animals feed on the other organism. They
are also referred to as phagotrophs (phago – to swallow or
 ingest) while macro-consumers are normally herbivores and
carnivores.
1. Herbivores are called first order or primary consumers, for they
feed directly on green plants. For example, terrestrial ecosystem
consumers are cattle, deer, grass hopper, rabbit, etc. aquatic
ecosystem consumers are protozoans, crustaceans, etc.
2. Carnivores are animals that they prey or feed on other animals.
Second order consumers or primary carnivores include those
animals that feed on herbivorous animal. For example, fox, frog,
smaller fishes, predatory birds, snakes, etc.
3. Third order consumer or secondary carnivores are the animals
that feed on primary carnivores. For example, wolf, owl,
peacock, etc. some larger carnivores prey on secondary
carnivores. Quaternary consumers or tertiary carnivores include
those animals which feed upon secondary carnivores. For
example, the lion, the tiger, etc. these are not eated by any other
animal. The larger carnivores which cannot be preyed on further
are also called the top carnivores.
4. Saprotrophs (from greek: sapro – rotten, trophos- feeder) are
called the reducers or decomposers. They break the complex
organic compounds in dead matter down (dead plants and
animals) decomposers they don’t ingest the food. Instead they
secrete the digestive enzyme into the dead, decaying plant or
animal remains and digest this organic material. The enzymes
act on the complex organic compounds in the dead matter.
Decomposers absorb a bit of the decomposition products to
provide themselves with nourishment. The remaining is added
as minerals.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
Place of study : Harugeri Raibag(tq) Belagaum(di).

Methodology: I have visited Sugarcane and Turmeric plantation in

the month of May, June and September.
The main components like biotic and abiotic factor of the plantation
were observed and noted.
Some of the biotic and abiotic components photos has been taken for
the reference.
Referential books are used for the information.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

I did my project in Sugarcane and Turmeric plantation.
A. Sugarcane, or sugar cane, or simply cane, are several species
of tall perennial true grasses of the genus Saccharum,
tribe Andropogoneae, native to the warm temperate to tropical
regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, and
used for sugar production. It has stout, jointed, fibrous stalks
that are rich in the sugar sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk
internodes. The plant is two to six metres (six to twenty feet)
tall. All sugar cane species can interbreed and the major
commercial cultivars are complex hybrids. Sugarcane belongs to
the grass family Poaceae, an economically important seed plant
family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum, and
many forage crops.
B. Turmeric is a flowering plant, Curcuma longa of
the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the roots of which are used in
cooking.The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous
plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, that
 requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and
a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are
gathered each year for their rhizomes, some for propagation in
the following season and some for consumption.
C. Abiotic components: In biology and ecology, abiotic
components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and
physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms
and the functioning of ecosystem. Abiotic components include
physical conditions and non-living resources that affect living
organisms in terms of growth, maintenance and reproduction.
 Water: water can easily be called lifeblood of earth. The
earth’s surface is covered by 70% water and it is essential
component to all the living organisms. All living organisms
whether that are plants or animals needs a definite percentage
amount of water to remain healthy. In plants important
nutrients are carried out from the soil to the plants through
water. The water bodies of the world have more life forms
present in them than found on land. Water has a property of
its solid frozen from being less dense than the liquid from.
This important property makes ice float on water and allows
many aquatic life forms to survive in cold conditions in the
water in spite of the surface being frozen there is a wide
range of temperature in which water remains in liquid form
and it has the ability to dissolve many essentials nutrients and
minerals. All this and more make water an essential factor for
survival of life.
 Temperature: All plants and minerals are adapted to survive
between a minimum and maximum range of temperature. The
earth’s surface has different temperatures in different zones
and while some animals and plants can bear extreme heat or
extreme cold, some survive well in moderate temperature
ranges. The temperature during 3 visits that is evening and
 rainy days is nearly 260 and the temperature during sunny day
was nearly 360. It is adversely affected by temperatures below
100C and above 400C.
 Light: light is the main source of energy for organisms.
Natural light has an important part to play in the life of most
plants as it is most utilised by them for the process of
photosynthesis where light energy is converted into chemical
energy and into complex organic substance important for
growth, flowering and germination. Plants as food source
indirectly transfer the energy to animals. We had two visits
on rainy days when the sky was cloudy and so the light was
not so bright. one was during evening and has light of a same
atmosphere. One was during summer day time where it was
sunny and too bright and evening where it has same of light
of same atmosphere.
 Soil: The largest area under the crop is found gravelly laterite
soils of red clay type. It can also be grown on fertile clay
loam soils.
 Humidity: the humidity of the atmosphere directly regulates
the rate of respiration and perspiration from the plants and
animals respectively. Various plants and animals develop
several conditions to face dry conditions.

D.Biotic components:
a) Producers: producers are organisms that can make their
own food or energy through biochemical processes, which
are just processes in living things that involve chemical
reactions. Also called autotrophs, the usual way producers
make energy through photosynthesis.
Plant descriptions:
 Sugarcane:-
Sugarcane is a tropical, perennial grass that forms lateral
shoots at the base to produce multiple stems, typically three
to four m (10 to 13 ft) high and about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter.
The stems grow into cane stalk, which when mature
constitutes around 75% of the entire plant. A mature stalk is
typically composed of 11–16% fiber, 12–16% soluble sugars,
2–3% nonsugars, and 63–73% water. A sugarcane crop is
sensitive to the climate, soil type, irrigation, fertilizers,
insects, disease control, varieties, and the harvest period. The
average yield of cane stalk is 60–70 tonnes per hectare (24–
28 long ton/acre; 27–31 short ton/acre) per year. However,
this figure can vary between 30 and 180 tonnes per hectare
depending on knowledge and crop management approach
used in sugarcane cultivation. Sugarcane is a cash crop, but it
is also used as livestock fodder.
Turmeric:- Turmeric, (Curcuma
longa), perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family
(Zingiberaceae), the tuberous rhizomes, or underground stems, of
which have been used from antiquity as a condiment, a textile dye,
and medically as an aromatic stimulant. Native to
southern India and Indonesia, turmeric is widely cultivated on the
mainland and in the islands of the Indian Ocean. In ancient times it
was used as a perfume as well as a spice.

 Turmeric plants reach about 1 metre (3.3 feet) in height and bear
long simple leaves with long petioles (leaf stems). The leaves
emerge from the branching rhizomes that lie just below the soil
surface. Older rhizomes are somewhat scaly and brown in
colour, while young rhizomes are pale yellow to brown-orange.
The small yellow-orange flowers are borne in the axils of waxy
bracts that are usually pale green or tinged with purple.
 Citrus: it belongs to the family Rutaceae. It is genus flowering
plants. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including
important crops such as oranges, lemon, grape fruits, etc. It acts
as eco-friendly cleanser. It has essential oil. It also acts as
microwave cleanser.

 Cocus nucifera: it belongs to the palm tree family (Arecaceae).

The only known living species of genus cocos. The seed or a
drupe which botanically a drupe and not a nut. It acts as a natural
skin softener and moisturiser. It prevents skin infections and
improves skin tones, elasticity and age spots.

 Hibiscus: it belongs to the family Malvaceae. It develops large

trumpet shaped flower without scent. It consist 5 or more petals
that can be white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, red or blue in
color. Bees butterflies and humming birds are main pollinators of
hibiscus flower. It lowers the body temperature and it is used to
treat heart and nerve disease.

 Chilli: It belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is commercial crop

and used to prepare sauce which are used to add spice to other
dishes. They are excellent source of vitamin C but excess use of
chilli may cause indigestion and heartburn. It aslo has some of
medicinal properties like reduces the risk of skin and stomach
cancer.

 Banana plant: it is largest herbaceous flowering family and

belongs to the family Musaceae. All the above-ground parts of
the banana plant grow from a structure usually called a ‘corm’.
Plants are normally tall and fairly sturdy, but what appears to be
trunk is actually a false stem or pseudoste.
 Sweet grass: it is an aromatic herb belongs to the family
Poaceae. It is a sacred grass of the indigenous peoples. It is used
as smudge, in herbal medicine and in the production of distilled
beverages.

 Parthenium plant: it belongs to the family Asteraceae. It is

commonly known congress plant, santa-maria, whitetop weed, it
supress the crop and pasture plants. It affects the human and
livestock.

 Maize: Corn, (Zea mays), also called Indian corn or maize,

cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The
domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the
most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used
as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material
in industry. In the United States the colourful variegated strains
known as Indian corn are traditionally used in autumn harvest
decorations.
Photos- Producers.

Maize Plant

Turmeric Plant
 Sugarcane Plant

Hibiscous Coconut Plant

 Grass

Citrus

Parthenium
 Banana Plant

consumers: they are the organisms which feed on producers and they
are further classified into :

I. Primary consumers (Herbivores): these are consumers

who eats plants leaves, flowers, stems, roots and etc.
plant-eaters are vegetarian animals so meaning they do
not eat meat of other animals. Eg: cow, ants, frog,
caterpillars, millipede.
II. Secondary consumers(carnivores): these are animals
that eat meat of other animals. They do not eat plants but
only rat meat of other animals. Eg: dog, snake, squirrels.
III. Tertiary consumers(omnivores): these are consumers
who actually eat either plants or animal meats. Eg: crow,
peacock, vultures.
b) Decomposers: Decomposer refers to small consumers
like bacteria, fungi and worms that cause the decay of
 dead organism. They are sometimes called to as micro
consumers because many of them are microorganisms that
are too small to see by the naked eye. They are also
described as heterotrophic because they feed on other
organism. Some decomposers like fungi and saprotrophic.
This means fungi take in food by absorbing dissolved
organic substances that are products of decay.
Decomposers break down the complex substances in the
bodies of dead plants and animals into simpler materials.
They are the final consumers of a biotic community. They
return to the non-living environment, the materials which
were originally absorbed by the plants from the soil. Eg:
earthworm, fungi.

Description: consumers

 Giant crab spider: it is a species of spider which belongs to the

family Sparassidae. The huntsman spiders. It is native to the
tropical regions of the world. It is present in some subtropical
areas as an introduced species. Its common names include giant
crab spider and cane spider.

 Tadpole: A tadpole is larval stage in the life cycle of an

amphibian. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some
species. As they grow they undergo metamorphosis, during
which process they grows limbs, develop lungs and reabsorb the
tail. Most tadpoles are herbivores and during metamorphosis the
mouth and internal organs are rearranged to prepare for an adult
carnivores life style.
 Description: decomposer.
Earthworm:- Decomposers Earthworms. Earthworms may
seem gross, but they actually play an essential role in food
chains and ecosystems. Earthworms are decomposers that
break down and recycle the matter from dead plants and
animals, as well as waste products, returning it back into the
soil.

Photos: consumers and decomposers.

Crab Spider Tadpole

Earthworm
 Check list:

SI NO COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME

01 Maize Zea mays
02 Sugar cane Saccharum officinarum
03 Lemon Citrus
04 Turmeric Curcuma longa
05 Coconut Cocos nucifera
06 Hibiscus Hibiscus rosa
07 Chilli Capsicum frutescens
08 Banana plant Musa
09 Tamrind Tamarindus indica
10 Sweet grass Hierochloe odorata
11 Congress plant Parthenium hysterophorus
12 Crab spider Thomisidae
13 Tadpole Benthophilus ctenolepidus
14 Giant puffball Calvatia gigantea
 Conclusion
From this project work, I have studied different types of species
Sugarcane, Maize and Turmeric plantation and also I got the
information about the balance between the biotic and abiotic
components in an ecosystem.
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with
the non-living components of their environment (things like air, water
and mineral soil), interacting as a system.
An ecosystem is balanced when the natural animals and plants and
non-living component are in harmony that is there is nothing to
disturb the balance. Eith increasing pollution, change in migratory
patterns, and rise of human population, many ecosystems are in
danger.
 Reference
 https://www.britannica.com
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org
 Farmers.