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Questions and Answers
What is the primary way to categorize ecosystems?
What is the term used to describe the entire biosphere as a single ecosystem?
Which of the following is an example of a man-made ecosystem?
What is the primary focus of studying the structure of an ecosystem?
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What is the result of the energy flows within an ecosystem?
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What is an example of a terrestrial ecosystem?
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Why is it convenient to divide the global ecosystem into smaller units?
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What does the interaction of biotic and abiotic components result in?
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What is the term used to describe the vertical distribution of different species in an ecosystem?
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What is the role of the solar input in a pond ecosystem?
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What types of organisms are represented by the zooplankton, free swimming and bottom dwelling forms in a pond ecosystem?
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What types of organisms are abundant in the bottom of a pond ecosystem?
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Study Notes
Ecosystem Definition
- An ecosystem is a functional unit of nature where living organisms interact among themselves and with the surrounding physical environment.
Types of Ecosystems
- Ecosystems vary greatly in size, ranging from a small pond to a large forest or sea.
- The entire biosphere can be regarded as a global ecosystem, composed of all local ecosystems on Earth.
Categorization of Ecosystems
- Ecosystems can be divided into two basic categories: terrestrial and aquatic.
Examples of Ecosystems
- Terrestrial ecosystems: forest, grassland, desert
- Aquatic ecosystems: pond, lake, wetland, river, estuary
- Man-made ecosystems: crop fields, aquarium
Structure and Function of Ecosystems
- The structure of an ecosystem involves understanding input (productivity), transfer of energy (food chain/web, nutrient cycling), and output (degradation and energy loss).
- Ecosystems involve relationships created through energy flows, including cycles, chains, and webs within the system.
Ecosystem Components
- Ecosystem components interact with each other, resulting in a physical structure characteristic of each type of ecosystem.
- Biotic components include plants and animals, whose species composition and vertical distribution (stratification) define the ecosystem.
Ecosystem Functions
- Productivity: conversion of inorganic into organic material using radiant energy from the sun.
- Decomposition: breakdown of dead matter by decomposers (fungi, bacteria, flagellates) to release nutrients back to autotrophs.
- Energy flow: unidirectional movement of energy towards higher trophic levels, with dissipation and loss as heat to the environment.
- Nutrient cycling: cycling of nutrients through autotrophs, heterotrophs, and decomposers.
Pond Ecosystem Example
- A pond is a self-sustainable unit that exhibits all four basic components of an ecosystem: abiotic (water, soil), autotrophic (phytoplankton, algae, plants), consumer (zooplankton, fish), and decomposer (fungi, bacteria, flagellates).
- The pond's ecosystem functions include energy conversion, consumption, decomposition, and mineralization, with a unidirectional energy flow towards higher trophic levels.
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Description
Learn about the concept of ecosystems, their varying sizes, and categorization into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
