Ecosystem

Define ecosystem

The sum total interaction between biotic and abiotic components

Name biotic components

Producers, consumers and decomposers

Define food chain

The sequence of living organisms in an ecosystem in which one organism consumes another organism to transfer food energy

3 principles of food chain

1. Complete and self containing (producer at the beginning and consumers at the end)

2. shorter food chain (less wastage of energy)

3. size of population is determined by the number of steps in the food chain

What are the 2 types of food chains

1. Grazing food chain

2. Detritus food chain

What is standing crop?

The amount of living material at different trophic levels expressed in biomass

Define food web

interconnected food chains in an ecosystem which can form a network of relationships between various species

Define ecological pyramids

Diagrammatic representations showing the relationship between the biomass, number and energy contents at different trophic levels

Name 4 abiotic components

1. Temp

2. water

3. light

4. ph

Define flow of energy

energy of the sun enters through the producers and travels via consumers and decomposers and then finally released in the form of heat energy.

Two laws of flow of energy

1. law of conservation of energy

2. total amount of usable energy tends to decrease with time

Define productivity

The rate at which radiant energy is fixed in the form of organic food

GPP full form and definition

Gross Primary Productivity

total rate of photosynthesis during the measurement period

NPP full form and definition

Net Primary Productively

rate of storage of excess organic matter in plants during respiration

NPP = GPP - R

NCP full form and definition

Net Community Productivity

rate of storage of organic matter not used by heterotrophs

Define decomposition and its process

Process in which decomposers breakdown complex organic matter and into simple inorganic matter like co2, h2o and nutrients.

5 step process-

1. fragmentation

2. leaching

3. catabolism

4. Humification

5. Mineralisation