BIO ecosystems

what is an ecosystem

An ecosystem is a self contained area composed of all the different organisms living in it, interacting with each other, as well as interacting with the physical conditions prevailing in an area

from where is the word ecosystem derived from

it is derived from the word oikos meaning house

what are the two different types of organisms in a general chain

• food producers

• food consumers

what’s a forest

a large area of land with a dense growth of trees and a large variety of plants

producers (autotrophs)

plants can produce their own food through photosynthesis and are called self producers or autotrophs

primary consumers (herbivores)

the plant eating animals that eat the plant directly or eat the fruits, flowers or suck on the plant juices are called primary producers (or direct plant eaters).

secondary consumers (carnivores)

the animals that capture herbivores and eat their flesh are called secondary consumers

trophic levels

the food obtaining steps in a food chain are called trophic levels

tertiary consumers (secondary carnivores)

the putrefying flesh eaters (scavengers) that eat the dead bodies of other animals whose remains are broken down by bacteria thus returning the nutrients back into the soil

what are the components of an ecosystem

• biotic components

• abiotic components

BIOTIC COMPONENTS

All the living components of an ecosystem

ABIOTIC COMPONENTS

All the non living components of an ecosystem

TROPHIC LEVEL 1

Green plants. they are the starting point of the food chain

Heterotrophs

Organisms that depend on other living organisms for nutrition means differently nourished

TROPHIC LEVEL 2

Plant eating animals, such as herbivores, which consume green plants.

TROPHIC LEVEL 3

Carnivores that consume herbivores

TROPHIC LEVEL 4

Tertiary consumers that eat other animals dead remains