Ecosystem Review G5-6 PDF

ECOSYSTEM ❖ Geographical Region/ Geographic Area ❖ Plants, animals, and other species, as well as weather and landscapes, coexist to produce a living bubble or work together. ❖ Physically defined habitat made up of 2 separate components: ➢ Biotope (abiotic) ■ Distinct physical habitat with unique ph...

ECOSYSTEM ❖ Geographical Region/ Geographic Area ❖ Plants, animals, and other species, as well as weather and landscapes, coexist to produce a living bubble or work together. ❖ Physically defined habitat made up of 2 separate components: ➢ Biotope (abiotic) ■ Distinct physical habitat with unique physical features. ➢ Biocenosis (biotic) ■ Group of living species that are constantly interacting and so interdependent. 3 TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM ❖ Aquatic Ecosystem ➢ One that exists in and around a body of water ➢ Contains living species that rely on water for existence such as fish, plants, and bacteria ➢ Abiotic nutrients, ■ Depth, temperature, salinity, flow of water. ➢ Biotic ■ Live species plants, and ■ Fish, bacteria ❖ Terrestrial Ecosystem ➢ Exist on land ➢ Necessary for the supply of services (such as food and fuel) as well as ecological processes for all life on Earth. ➢ Dependent on the temperature range ❖ Artificial Ecosystem ➢ Similar to natural ecosystems in some ways, but humans build and manage them, ➢ Place where biotic and abiotic components interact with one another in order to survive. IMPORTANCE ❖ Plays a Critical and essential role in maintaining life on Earth. ❖ Biodiversity ❖ Food Production ❖ Climate Regulation ❖ Natural Resources ❖ Clean Air & Water ❖ Economic Value HUMAN-ECOSYSTEM INTERACTION ❖ The diverse ways in which human activities and civilizations are interrelated with and impact natural ecosystems are referred to as human-ecosystem interactions. ➢ Resource Utilization ➢ Agriculture ➢ Conservation Activities ➢ Sustainable Practices ECOSYSTEM DEPENDENT ❖ Climate ➢ The temperature and amount of rainfall are very important in determining which species can survive in the ecosystem ❖ Soil ➢ Soil type is important as this provides nutrients that will support different plants ❖ Water ➢ The amount of water available in an ecosystem will determine which plants and animals can be supported. DIVISION OF ECOSYSTEM ❖ Natural Ecosystems naturally without ➢ Formed human intervention. ➢ Forest and Marine ecosystems ❖ Artificial Ecosystem ➢ Formed by the act of human interference and in accordance with human purpose with a specific purpose ➢ Ecosystem of Paddy and Orchard ecosystem. ❖ Ecosystem Succession ➢ Formed ecosystem begins with the destruction caused by natural disasters ➢ Ecosystems that occur due to volcano eruptions ➢ Classified into two ■ Primary Succession if ● Happens home communities disrupted ● Disruption results in loss of the home communities in total so that on-site home communities formed a new habitat. ■ Secondary Succession do ● Disorders not damage the growing point total organism so that the substrate lasts long. ECONOMIC PROCESSES ❖ Energy Flow ➢ Plants capture solar energy through photosynthesis, providing sustenance for themselves and other organisms, ultimately benefiting humans through food consumption ❖ Water Cycle ➢ Plants act as umbrellas, capturing rainwater and preventing soil erosion ➢ Water supports plant growth, streams, and ponds, contributing to a balanced ecosystem. ❖ Nutrient Cycle ➢ Microscopic Life in solid aids plants in accessing nutrients from sources like rocks and rain. ➢ Animals consuming plants pass on these nutrients, benefiting humans through food. ❖ Community Dynamics ➢ Organisms interact, influencing their environment ➢ Overtime, these interactions lead to changing ecosystems. ➢ Fires and grazing animals can alter these dynamics ➢ Secondary Succession ■ Happens when a climax community is impacted by a disturbance. ■ This restarts the cycle of succession, but not back to the beginning– soil and nutrients are still present. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ❖ Provisioning Services directly provides ➢ Nature resources such as water, timber, medicines, and natural fuels, sustaining human livelihoods. ❖ Regulating Services regulate vital ➢ Ecosystems processes like air purification, water filtration, and climate control, ensuring a habitable environment. ❖ Cultural Services ➢ Nature shapes human culture, providing inspiration for art, music, recreation, and social connections, enriching our lives. ❖ Supporting Services ➢ Foundational processes like photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, and water cycle support the existence of ecosystems and other services. ECOSYSTEM PROCESS–SERVICES RELATIONSHIP - Ecosystem processes drive the function that lead to ecosystem services. - Well-functioning processes, such as nutrient cycling and pollination, enable the provision of services like food production and clean water. - Interconnectedness: A breakdown in ecosystem processes can compromise services and impact human well-being. INTRO: FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB ❖ Charles Elton ➢ Animal Ecology ❖ Raymond Lindeman ➢ Energy Flow ❖ Stuart Pimm ➢ Food Webs FOOD CHAIN ❖ A simplified linear representation of the feeding relationships within an ecosystem ❖ After an autotroph produces the first organic matter, nutrients and energy are transferred throughout the remainder of the system by heterotrophs feeding on autotrophs and on one another. ❖ Types of Food Chain/Web ➢ Grazing Food Chain ■ Many Consumers on One Decomposers source of ■ Primary energy comes from plants. ■ Plants - Herbivores Carnivores ➢ Detritus/Detrital Food Chain ■ Primary sources of energy comes from dead organic matter and waste materials. ■ Known as Detritus ■ Dead Plants/Animals Decomposers Detritivores ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE : FOOD CHAINS - Energy flows one way, from the sun to producers, then to consumers in a food chain, starting with photosynthesis and ending in decay - Nutrients are cycled through biogeochemical processes - There is lesser wastage of food energy in shorter food chinese - Wastage increases with the length of food chains. - Population size is linked to trophic levels in a food chain. As energy decreases through levels, population shrink Quaternary consumers have the smallest population, followed by tertiary and then secondary consumers. FOOD WEB - A concept that accounts for the multiple trophic (feeding) interactions between each species and the many species it may feed on, or that feed on it. - Interconnected food chains - Establishes a network of relationship between various species FEATURES OF FOOD WEB - No food chain is independent and no linear arrangement of food chains occur - Provides alternative pathways of food availability - Ex. if a particular crop fails, the herbivores graze on other types of produce - The greater the number of alternative pathways, the more stable the ecosystem - It helps in checking the overpopulation of highly fecund five species of animals and plants. - The position of an animal in a food web is determined by the age and size of the species and the availability of food source. - Helps in ecosystem development. SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD WEB - Concept of web is more real ecologically than simple food chain - Provides for alternate sources of food - None get starved if its preferred species is reduced in number. The animal switches over the alternate food item. - No species is exploited beyond the degree of its recovery Provide stability to ecosystem TROPHIC SYSTEM - Concept of trophic level systems was developed by Raymond Lindeman (1942) - Trophic = “Trophe” = Food - Also known as the food chain - Hierarchical system of organisms in an ecosystem where each level depends on the level below it for food. - Essential for maintaining balance and stability in an ecosystem, as it ensures that energy and nutrients are transferred efficiently throughout the food chain. - Crucial for studying the interactions between organisms and their environment. TROPHIC LEVEL - Refers to the position of a particular organism in a food chain or web - It is determined by the organism’s feeding relationship with other organisms within the ecosystem. Organisms at higher trophic levels, such as apex predators, consume other organisms from lower trophic levels in order to obtain energy and nutrients. - This transfer of energy and nutrients through different trophic levels is known as a trophic cascade AUTOTROPHS - Organisms that are able to produce their own food using energy from the sun or other natural resources - These organisms are also known as producers as they are able to convert simple inorganic compounds like carbon dioxide and water intro complex organic molecules life glucose through a process known as photosynthesis - Important part of many ecosystems as they provide the base of the food chain by producing organic matter that is then consumed by other organisms. HETEROTROPHS - Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must obtain their nutrients by consuming other organisms. - These organisms are also known as consumers, as they obtain energy by feeding on other living or dead organisms. - important parts of many ecosystems, as they play a crucial role in the food chain by consuming autotrophs or other heterotrophs, and by breaking down organic matter to release nutrients that can be used by other organisms. COMPONENTS OF TROPHIC SYSTEM ❖ Producers - primarily plants and some types of algae, are the foundation of trophic system ➢ Photoautotrophs (use sunlight) - Plants, Algae, and some bacteria (energy ➢ Chemoautotrophs from oxidation of inorganic compounds) - Fungi such as mushrooms, and many bacteria such as E. coli and archaea in the hydrothermal vents. ❖ Consumers - organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms. Categorized into different trophic levels based on their feeding habits ➢ Primary Consumers ■ Herbivores & Quaternary ➢ Tertiary Consumers ■ Carnivores - - Biodiversity - contribute to biodiversity by promoting species coexistence and preventing the overpopulation of certain species. Trophic Cascades - can impact other levels, leading to trophic disruption. FLOW OF ENERGY COMMON TROPHIC INTERACTIONS SYMBIOTIC ❖ Predation ➢ Involves the consumption of one organism (prey) by another (predator) ❖ Herbivory ➢ Consume plants, affecting plant population and shaping vegetation communities. ❖ Parasitism ➢ To live on or within a hose organism, often causing harm ➢ Such that only one benefits from the other. ❖ Mutualism ➢ Symbiotic relationship where both species benefit. ➢ These interactions can influence population dynamics and ecosystem stability. ❖ Commensalism ➢ Symbiotic relationship is an association between two organisms in which one benefits and other neither benefits nor harms. SIGNIFICANCE OF TROPHIC SYSTEM - Energy Flow - facilitate the flow of energy through different trophic levels, starting from producers ENERGY FLOW - Fundamental ecological concept that describes how energy is transferred and transformed as it moves through living organisms within an ecosystem. BASIC PRINCIPLES & CONCEPTS - ❖ Law of Thermodynamics ➢ Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another ❖ Different Trophic Levels ➢ Producers ■ Plants ■ Trees ➢ Consumers ■ Herbivores ■ Carnivores ■ Omnivores ➢ Decomposers ■ Bacteria ■ Fungi In each cycle, the chemical element or molecule is transformed and cycled by living organisms and through various geological forms and reservoirs, including the atmosphere, the soil, and the oceans. ❖ WATER CYCLE ➢ The movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere. ➢ Driven by the Sun’s energy as it warms the ocean and other surface waters ➢ Leads to evaporation of liquid surface water and sublimation (ice to water vapor) of frozen water. ➢ Moving a large amounts of water into the atmosphere ❖ Food Chains and Food Webs ➢ Graphical representations of the flow of energy through an ecosystem. ❖ Concept of Pyramid Transfer Efficiency ➢ The 10% Rule & Energy ❖ Energy Transformation ➢ Does not occur spontaneously unless there is degradation of energy from a non-random to a random form. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE - The movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth’s crust. - Major biogeochemical cycles include the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and the water cycle. ❖ CARBON CYCLE ➢ Process which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere ➢ Most easily studied as two interconnected subcycles ■ Dealing with rapid carbon exchange among living organisms with the ■ Dealing long-term cycling of carbon through geological processes. ❖ NITROGEN CYCLE ➢ A process in which nitrogen moves through both living and nonliving things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals, and bacteria. ➢ Organic nitrogen is important to the study of ecosystem dynamics since many ecosystem processes. ➢ Primary and Decomposition are limited by the available supply of nitrogen. ❖ PHOSPHORUS CYCLE ➢ Process that describes the transformation and translocation of phosphorus in soil, water, and living and dead organic material. HUMAN ACTIVITIES THAT AFFECTS THE CYCLE - Burning of fossil fuel - Making more factories - Agricultural Run-off - Cutting down forest POPULATION DYNAMICS IN THE ENVIRONMENT - Study how species populations change over time due to birth, death, migration, and resource availability. - Examines the causes and effects of population growth and structure changes throughout time. - Reproduction, mortality, and migration rates are significant elements in population dynamics. FACTORS INFLUENCING DYNAMICS ❖ Birth and Death Rates ➢ Fluctuates due to factors like economic development, healthcare access, education, cultural norms, government policies, migration, natural disasters, aging, and global events. ➢ Economic growth and improved healthcare often lower deaths rates ➢ Changing cultural values and education influence birth rates. ❖ Migration Pattern ➢ Influenced by a complex interplay of factors such as economic opportunities, social conditions, political stability, environmental changes, and global events. ➢ People migrate to seek better livelihoods and resources, leading to population growth ➢ Migrate away due to factors like lack of opportunities, conflict, or natural disasters, resulting in population decline. ➢ These patterns can change overtime, impacting the island’s demographic composition and presenting challenges and opportunities for local development and resource management. ❖ Resource Availability ➢ Refers to the presence and accessibility of essential assets such as food,water, energy, and infrastructure on the island. ➢ Scarcity can lead to challenges like competition, migration, or strained infrastructure. ➢ Adequate resources support population growth and development. ❖ Interaction with Predators and Competitors ➢ Impact ecological balance and population dynamics on the island ➢ Predators can regulate prey populations, affecting their number, distribution, and behavior ➢ Competition among species for limited resources can influence population sizes and species composition. IMPLICATIONS AND CONSERVATION - Balanced population dynamics are vital for biodiversity and ecosystem health - Exponential and logistic growth models explain population trends - Human activities impact dynamics. Leading to habitat loss and species endangerment. - Conservation efforts aim to restore and protect population - Understanding population dynamics is essential for sustainable coexistence of species. KEY ASPECTS DYNAMICS OF POPULATION ❖ Interactions and Relationship ecosystems are ➢ Existing composed of various intricate and complex relationships between species, specifically biotic factors. ❖ Population Size and Growth ➢ Significantly affects how the population dynamics of the ecosystem are interpreted. and ❖ Density-Dependent Density-Independent Factors ➢ Population are influence by both density-dependent and density-independent factors factors ➢ Density-Dependent bring much more strong impact compared to its counterpart. ❖ Ecological Succession ➢ The process by which the variety of species and environment in a region changes over time ➢ These communities gradually replace one another until either a “climax community”-like an established forest is attained or a disturbance, like a fire, take place.