Chapter 2

• Ecosystem


  A system consisting of biotic and abiotic components that function together as a unit
• Ecosystem


  An ecological community consisting of different populations of organisms that live together in a particular habitat
• Ecosystem


  • The fundamental unit of nature
  • The community plus the environment
  • A geographic area where organisms, weather, and landscape, work together to form a "bubble of life"
• Ecosystem (etymology)


  • "οἶκος" ("oîkos") meaning house
  • "σύστημα" ("sústēma") meaning organized body
• The term "ecosystem" was coined in the early 1930s by the botanist, Roy Clapham
• Arthur Tansley, a British Ecologist, first introduced the concept of ecosystem in his paper entitled "The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts"
• Types of Ecosystem


  • Terrestrial Ecosystem
  • Freshwater Ecosystem
  • Marine Ecosystem
  • Artificial Ecosystem
• Terrestrial Ecosystem


  • Ecosystem that occurs on land
• Forest ecosystem


  • Consists of various plants, particularly trees and also animals that are teeming in a forest
  • They help maintain the earth's temperature
  • They are also a major carbon sink
• Grassland ecosystem


  • Typically found in tropical or temperate regions
  • Dominated by grasses
  • Animals commonly found are grazing animals, such as cattle, goats, and deer
• Tundra ecosystem


  • Characterized as being treeless and snow-covered
  • The ice that covers the land is important in regulating the earth's temperature
  • It also serves as a water reservoir
• Desert ecosystem


  • Occurs in desert habitats
  • Typically arid and windy, contains sand dunes, others, mostly rock
  • Organisms possess adaptations suited to their environment
  • Plants commonly found are CAM plants, such as cacti
  • Animals include insects, reptiles, and birds
• Freshwater Ecosystem


  • Aquatic ecosystems that do not contain saltwater
• Types of Freshwater Ecosystems

  • Lentic ecosystem
  • Lotic ecosystem

  
• Lentic ecosystem


  • Ecosystems in still waters
  • Examples: ponds, puddles, and lakes that forms zonation

  
• Zonation


  When ecosystem becomes very well established that different zones are formed
• Zones in Lentic Ecosystem

  • Littoral zone
  • Limnetic zone
  • Profundal zone
• Littoral zone


  Part that is near the shore, where light can penetrate up to the bottom
• Limnetic zone


  • Zone in which light does not completely penetrate through
  • Photic zone - the part of the limnetic zone that is penetrated by light
  • Benthic zone - the zone in which light cannot penetrate through
• Profundal zone


  Located below the range of effective light penetration
• Lotic ecosystem


  • An aquatic ecosystem characterized by a freshwater habitat that is freely flowing
  • Examples: rivers and streams

  
• Marine Ecosystem


  • Aquatic ecosystem that contains saltwater and regarded as the most abundant type of ecosystem in the world
  • Examples: seas and oceans
• Artificial Ecosystem


  • A man-made system, which can be further classified as terrestrial, freshwater, or marine
  • Example: terrarium
• Ecosystems


  • Deciduous Forest Ecosystem
  • Savannah Ecosystem
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem
  • Hot spring Ecosystem
  • Micro-ecosystem
• Deciduous Forest Ecosystem


  • Dominated by trees that shed leaves seasonally and then regrow their leaves at the start of the new growing season

  
• Savannah Ecosystem


  • A mix of woodland and grassland ecosystems
• Coral Reef Ecosystem


  • An ecosystem created by reef-building corals
• Hot Spring Ecosystem


  • A spring with water temperatures that are higher relative to its surroundings
• Micro-ecosystem


  • Ecosystems confined to small or tiny spaces and yet defined by specific environmental factors
• Components of an Ecosystem

  • Biotic
  • Abiotic
• Biotic


  The component that includes all the living things
• Types of Biotic Components

  • Eukaryotes
  • Prokaryotes
• Eukaryotes


  • Characterized by having membrane-bound organelles (such as a nucleus) inside their cells
  • Examples are plants, animals, fungi, and protists
• Prokaryotes


  • Those lacking membrane-bound organelles
  • Examples are bacteria and archaea
• Types of Biotic Components

  • Producers
  • Consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores)
  • Decomposers
• Producers


  • They are capable of producing their own food through photosynthesis
  • Examples are plants
• Consumers


  • They feed on the producers
  • Herbivores - consumers that feed on plants
  • Carnivores - consumers that feed on other meat
  • Omnivores - feed on both plant and meat
• Abiotic


  The component that includes all the non-living things
• Biotic Factors


  The biotic components whose biological activity creates an impact in the ecosystem
• Abiotic Factors


  Include the non-living things and the physical aspects of an ecosystem, such as climate, temperature, and pH