Describe the components of an ecosystem.
Describe the components of an ecosystem.
An ecosystem consists of two components - abiotic and biotic.
Abiotic component includes the physical environmental factors, e.g., the water, soil, wind, sunlight, etc.
Biotic component includes:
(i) Primary producers or the autotrophs, e.g., plants, phytoplankton, some algae, etc., that can use sunlight to make food.
(ii) Primary consumers feed on the producers, the plants. The primary consumers are all herbivores. Some common herbivores are insects, birds and mammals in terrestrial ecosystem and molluscs in the aquatic ecosystem.
(iii) Secondary consumers are animals which eat plant-eating animals. The consumers that feed on these herbivores are the primary carnivores (though secondary consumers), e.g., spiders, beetles and birds.
(iv) Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers. Animals that depend on the primary carnivores for food are labelled as secondary carnivores, e.g., owl, eagle and fox.
(v) The decomposers are the fungi, bacteria and other small organisms that break down the complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water and nutrients.
(vi) Detritivores e.g., earthworm, slugs, crabs and insects that break down detritus such as leaves, bark, flowers and dead remains of animals, including faecal matter into smaller particles.
An ecosystem consists of two components - abiotic and biotic.
Abiotic component includes the physical environmental factors, e.g., the water, soil, wind, sunlight, etc.
Biotic component includes:
(i) Primary producers or the autotrophs, e.g., plants, phytoplankton, some algae, etc., that can use sunlight to make food.
(ii) Primary consumers feed on the producers, the plants. The primary consumers are all herbivores. Some common herbivores are insects, birds and mammals in terrestrial ecosystem and molluscs in the aquatic ecosystem.
(iii) Secondary consumers are animals which eat plant-eating animals. The consumers that feed on these herbivores are the primary carnivores (though secondary consumers), e.g., spiders, beetles and birds.
(iv) Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers. Animals that depend on the primary carnivores for food are labelled as secondary carnivores, e.g., owl, eagle and fox.
(v) The decomposers are the fungi, bacteria and other small organisms that break down the complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water and nutrients.
(vi) Detritivores e.g., earthworm, slugs, crabs and insects that break down detritus such as leaves, bark, flowers and dead remains of animals, including faecal matter into smaller particles.
