UNIT- II

Habitat & ecological Niche

• Habitat and ecological niche: Basic concepts,
components of ecosystem, Study of pond,
grassland, forest, mangrove ecosystem -
Trophic levels ,food chain, food web and
ecological pyramids, ecosystem functions,
Energy flow in ecological systems, energy
efficiencies.
A niche includes all of the physical, chemical, and
biological factors that a species needs to survive,
stay healthy, and reproduce.

food
Abiotic conditions (temp, water)
Behavior (time of day its active, when it
reproduces)

You can think of a habitat as where a species

lives
and a niche as how it lives within its habitat.
14.1 Habitat And Niche
1) One species is better suited to the niche and the other will either be
pushed out or become extinct. Ex: North American Grey Squirrel
and native European Red Squirrel

2) If the niche will be divided. Ex: One species eats nuts from the trees,
and one eats them from the ground

3)If the two species further diverge. Ex: One species has teeth better
suited for seeds, and one has bigger teeth for nuts
14.1 Habitat And Niche

• Ecological equivalents are species that occupy similar

niches but live in different geographical regions.

Madagascar

South America
 Ecosystem
• The term ecosystem given by A.G. Tansley in
1935.
• He defined it as system resulting from the
integration of all the living and non-living
factors of the environment.
• Inconvenient to study large ecosystem like
earth, so divided into two types.
1. Natural
2. Artificial
Natural ecosystem- Operated by nature
without any human interference
On the basis of habitat-
1.Terrestial- like forest, grassland, desert
2. Aquatic- water pen
Aquatic further divided into-
(a)Lotic- Running water as spring, rivers
(b) Lentic- Standing water as lake, pond,
ditch
(c) marine- oceans, sea, estuary
 Major Ecosystem Components
Abiotic Components Biotic Components
Water, air, Producers,
temperature, soil, Macroconsumers like
light levels, Herbivores, Carnivores
precipitation, salinity & omnivores
Sets tolerance limits Microconsumers like
for populations and bacteria, fungi &
communities Actinomycetes.
Some are limiting Biotic interactions with
factors that structure biotic components
the abundance of include predation,
populations competition, symbiosis,
parasitism,
commensalism etc.
Ecosystem Organization
Biosphere
Organisms
Made of cells
Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic
Ecosystems
Species
Groups of organisms that resemble one
another in appearance, behavior, and
genetic make up
Sexual vs Asexual reproduction Communities

Production of viable offspring in nature

1.5 million named; 10-14 million likely
Populations
Genetic diversity Populations

Communities
Ecosystems Organisms
Biosphere
Fig. 4.2, p. 66
 Biotic Components of Ecosystems
Producers=autotroph
Source of all food
Photosynthesis
Abiotic chemicals
(carbon dioxide, Heat
Heat Solar
oxygen, nitrogen, energy
Consumers=heterotroph minerals)

Aerobic respiration Heat

Anaerobic respiration
• Methane, H2S Decomposers
(bacteria, fungus)
Producers
(plants)

Decomposers
Matter recyclers…
Consumers
Release organic compounds Heat
(herbivores,
Heat
into soil and water where they carnivores)

can be used by producers

Trophic level
• In producer- consumer arrangement,
each food level is known as trophic
level.
• The amount of living material in
different trophic levels known as
Standing crop
Producers: the first trophic level
Autotrophs (“self-feeders”) = organisms
that capture solar energy for photosynthesis
to produce sugars
Green Plants
Cyanobacteria
Algae
Chemosynthetic bacteria use the
geothermal energy in hot springs or deep-sea
vents to produce their food
Consumers: organisms that consume
producers
Primary consumers = second trophic level
Organisms that consume producers
Herbivores consume plants
Deer, grasshoppers
Secondary consumers = third trophic
level
Organisms that prey on primary consumers
Carnivores consume meat
Wolves, rodents
Consumers occur at even higher
trophic levels

Tertiary Consumers = fourth trophic level

Predators at the highest trophic level
Consume secondary consumers
Are also carnivores
Hawks, owls
Omnivores = consumers that eat both
plants and animals
Detritivores and decomposers
Organisms that consume nonliving organic
matter
Enrich soils and/or recycle nutrients found in
dead organisms
Detritivores = scavenge waste products or
dead bodies
Millipedes
Decomposers = break down leaf litter and
other non-living material
Fungi, bacteria
Enhance topsoil and recycle nutrients
 Detritivores vs Decomposers

Detritus feeders Decomposers

Bark beetle Carpenter Termite and

engraving ant carpenter
galleries ant
Long-horned work
beetle holes Dry rot fungus

Wood Mushroo
reduced m
to powder

Powder broken down by decomposers

Time progression
into plant nutrients in soil

Fig. 4.15, p. 75
 Pond Ecosystem
It comprises of two components-
1. Abiotic
2. Biotic

• Abiotic Components : It comprises heat, light, pH, Organic &

inorganic materials like water, oxygen, nitrogen, humic acid etc.
• The amount of minerals present in the physical envt. Of pond i.e.,
measured by Misra methods.
• Light intensity measured by Lux Photometer.
• Turbidity index of water at different depths by Sechhi Disc.
• pH by electric pH meter.
• Organic compounds by biomass determination.
• Biotic Components: It involves producers, consumers &
decomposers.
Pond ecosystem
 Pond ecosystem cont.
• Producers are plants & photosynthetic bacteria.
They are of following types:
Macrophytes: Comprises rooted larger plants
submerged & floating hydrophytes.
1. floating- Nelumbo, trapa
2. Free floating- Wolffia, Azoola
Phytoplanktons: minute, floating lower plants.
• Biomass of vegetation decreases from margin
of pond towards centre.
 Pond ecosystem
1. Pri. Consumers- herbivores / pri.
Macroconsumers which are directly feeding on
plants & their remains. Further divided into-
• Benthos –
1)associated with living plants
2)Some at bottom feeding plant remains known as
Detritivores.
• Zooplanktons- euglena. Feeds on
phytoplanktons.
2. Sec. Consumers- carnivores feeds on primary
consumers. Ex: water beetles
3. Ter. Consumers- carnivores like game fish
 Decomposers
• Also known as microconsumers.
• Decomposes plant & animals dead remains.
• Adds mineral elements back to the
environment. It includes-
1. Bacteria- isolated by Thortons medium
2. Fungi- isolated by Warcups method on
Martins medium
3. Actinomycetes- isolated on Jensons medium
 Environmental Problems:
Freshwater biomes have suffered mainly from
pollution.
Runoff containing fertilizer and other wastes,
and industrial dumpings enter into rivers,
ponds, and lakes tend to promote abnormally
rapid algae growth- ARTIFICIAL
EUTROPHICATION
When algae die, dead organic matter ends up
in the water. This makes the water unusable,
and it kills many of the organisms living in the
habitat.
 Grassland ecosystem
Grassland occupy 19% of earth’s area.This
ecosystem comprise following components:
1. Abiotic component
2. Biotic component-
• Producers- grasses like Cynodon
• Consumers-
• Prim. Con.-grazing animals like termites
• Sec. Con. –like frog, lizard
• Decomposers-fungi like Mucor, Rhizopus
 Forest Ecosystem
• Forest occupy 40% of total land while one-tenth of total Indian land
area.
• Its biotic & abiotic components are-
• In abiotic components, litter accumulation is found due to dead organic
debris.
• In biotic components, Producers comprises trees with specific climate-
• Tropical moist deciduouds forest-Tectona grandis
• Temperate coniferous forest- pinus
• Temperate deciduous forest- Betula
• Primary consumers like leafhoppers & bugs’
• Sec. Con. Like lizard & birds
• Ter. Con. Like lion, tiger
• Decomposers like Bacillus, Pseudomonas
The Mangrove Ecosystem
These detritus eating
animals are a source
of food for
carnivores such as
crabs and fish .
These in turn
provide food for
larger fish, reptiles
and birds.
Picture – Mangrove Crab
The Mangrove Ecosystem
Mangrove wetlands
provide habitat,
feeding, breeding
and nursery areas
for a wide variety of
plants and animals,
including
endangered species.
Picture shows a Snowy Egret
Wildlife in the Florida mangroves
Pictures from left to right horseshoe crab, sheepshead, tree snail, mangrove water snake.
Mangrove wildlife
pictures show from left to right: blue crab, blue heron,
fiddler crab, mangrove snapper
Mangrove wildlife
From left to right Florida fighting conch, mangrove buckeye, periwinkle,American
crocodile