Ecosystem Structure and Components

What is an Ecosystem?

• An ecosystem is a structural and functional unit of ecology where living organisms interact with each other and their environment.
• It is a chain of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Structure of Ecosystem

• The structure of an ecosystem is characterized by the organization of biotic and abiotic components.
• It includes the distribution of energy in the environment and climatic conditions prevailing in that environment.
• The structure of an ecosystem can be split into two main components: biotic and abiotic components.

Biotic Components

• Biotic components refer to all living components in an ecosystem.
• Based on nutrition, biotic components can be categorized into autotrophs, heterotrophs, and saprotrophs (or decomposers).

Abiotic Components

• Abiotic components are the non-living components of an ecosystem.
• It includes air, water, soil, minerals, sunlight, temperature, nutrients, wind, altitude, turbidity, etc.

Functions of Ecosystem

• Ecosystems regulate essential ecological processes, support life systems, and render stability.
• They are responsible for the cycling of nutrients between biotic and abiotic components.
• They maintain a balance among the various trophic levels in the ecosystem.

Functional Components

• Productivity refers to the rate of biomass production.
• Energy flow is the sequential process through which energy flows from one trophic level to another.
• Decomposition is the process of breakdown of dead organic material, with the top-soil being the major site for decomposition.
• Nutrient cycling involves the consumption and recycling of nutrients back in various forms for utilization by various organisms.

Important Ecological Concepts

• A food chain refers to the order of events in an ecosystem, where one living organism eats another organism, and later that organism is consumed by another larger organism.
• An ecological pyramid is the graphical representation of the number, energy, and biomass of the successive trophic levels of an ecosystem.
• A food web is a network of interconnected food chains within a single ecosystem, comprising all the food chains within an ecosystem.