Ecosystem and its Components

Environment

The environment includes everything around the organism, i.e., both non-living (abiotic) and living (biotic) components.

Abiotic Components

The abiotic components are the physical factors such as climatic factors (e.g., temperature, light, wind, humidity, precipitation, water, etc.) and edaphic factors (e.g., soil texture, substratum, topography, background, minerals, pH, etc.).

Biotic Components

The biotic components include all kinds of living organisms with which the organism interacts.

This interdependent interaction among organisms as well as with the abiotic components maintains a balance in nature.

Increase in human population and great advancement in technology have damaged the balanced and healthy environment.

Ecosystem and its Components

All living organisms (microorganisms, algae, fungi, plants, animals, and human beings) regularly interact with each other and with the non-living (abiotic) physical surroundings to maintain a balance in nature.

An ecosystem may be defined as a structural and functional unit of the biosphere comprising living organisms and their non-living environment that interact by means of food chains and chemical cycles resulting in energy-flow, biotic diversity, and material cycling to form a stable, self-supporting system.

Types of Ecosystems

In the biosphere, ecosystems may be classified on the basis of their nature, duration, and size.

Nature

• Natural ecosystems: These ecosystems operate in nature by themselves without any human interference. Examples include a pond, a lake, a meadow, a desert, a grassland, a forest, an ocean, etc.
• Artificial ecosystems: These are maintained by humans and are also termed man-made or man-engineered ecosystems. Examples include croplands, orchards, gardens, aquariums, etc.

Duration

• Temporary ecosystems: These are short-lived ecosystems which may be natural or man-made. Examples include a rainfed pond and laboratory culture of protozoans.
• Permanent ecosystems: These are self-supporting natural ecosystems that maintain themselves for a relatively long duration. Examples include a lake, a forest, a desert, etc.

Size

• Small ecosystems: Small-sized ecosystems are also termed microecosystems. Examples include a flowerpot, water in a dish, a site under a stone, etc.
• Large ecosystems: Very large-sized ecosystems are also termed macro-ecosystems, e.g., an ocean, a forest, a desert, etc.

Components of Ecosystem

The various components of any ecosystem may be grouped into two main types:

• A. Abiotic (non-living) components
• B. Biotic (living) components

(A) Abiotic (non-living) components

These include the non-living physico-chemical factors of the environment. These components not only affect the distribution and structure of organisms but also their behavior and interrelationships.

Abiotic factors include:

• Inorganic substances: e.g., carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium, phosphorus, etc., and their compounds (water, carbon dioxide, etc.) constitute the main abiotic component.
• Organic compounds: These include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, etc.
• Climatic factors: These include light, temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall, water, etc., and also edaphic factors (e.g., soil and substrate, topography, minerals, pH, etc.).

(B) Biotic (living) components

The living organisms present in an ecosystem form the biotic component. Regarding the mode of obtaining food, the organisms occurring in an ecosystem are classified into three main categories:

• Producers: These include all green plants and blue-green algae. They utilize solar energy to form glucose from simple inorganic substances through photosynthesis.
• Consumers: These are mainly animals that utilize materials and energy stored by the producers. They are known as heterotrophs.
• Decomposers (reducers): These include bacteria and fungi of decay. They obtain food from the organic materials of dead producers and consumers and their waste products.

Example of an Ecosystem

• Plants like grasses, flower-bearing plants (e.g., rose, jasmine, etc.), and trees. All these are producers.
• Animals such as frogs, insects, and birds. All these are consumers.
• Decomposers are microorganisms present in the soil. These provide raw materials back to the environment by decomposing dead, decaying matter for reuse by the producers.