Components of Ecosystem

 Components of Ecosystem

Components of ecosystem can be classified into two parts, which are as follow:

i)  Abiotic part  It is the non-living component, e.g. air, water, soil, suspended particulate matter etc.  Abiotic components of an ecosystem include inorganic substances (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen water, etc.,), organic chemicals (chlorophyll etc.,) and climate factors (light, temperature, humidity etc.,).

ii)  Biotic Part  It includes plants, animals and microorganisms.  It can be classified into various categories on the basis of functions.

Producers

•   Plants are a major part of producers.  Apart from trees and plants, producers also include microorganisms such as bacteria near ocean vents.  They produce their food themselves.

•    Producers make their food or derive their energy by two processes:

             i. Photosynthesis                   ii. Chemosynthesis

Consumers (Heterotrophs)

Organisms that gather energy by consuming organic material from other organisms.  Rather than performing photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, consumers perform aerobic respiration, which converts sugar(glucose) and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water to give them energy.

There are four types of consumers, which are as follow:

i)  Primary Consumers   Organisms that consume mainly producers.  Primary consumers are also known as herbivores because they consume mainly plants.

ii)   Secondary Consumers  Organisms that consume mainly primary consumers.  Secondary consumers are also known as carnivores because they consume mainly animals.

iii)  Tertiary Consumers  Organisms that consume secondary consumers.  Tertiary consumers are to top carnivores because they are not eaten by other animals.

iv)   Decomposer or Detritus  Bacteria, fungi and insects which degrade and decompose organic matter of all types and restore nutrients to the environment.