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Ecosystems
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consist of living organisms (the biotic community or component) and their physical and chemical environment (the inorganic component). They are identified by their structure and function. By structure we mean the arrangement of their physical parts, which we can see, feel and experience with all our senses. Thus, all species of plants and animals, together with their waste products and dead remains in the soil, are parts of an ecosystem structure. Also included are the non-living rocks and sediments that lie beneath ecosystems and the climatic factors (light, heat, moisture) which act upon them. By function we mean all the processes and interactions that take place within the ecosystem. As we shall see, such processes help to unite the diverse component parts of the ecosystem into a single or integrated unit.
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Pond Ecosystem
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I It is convenient to identify different ecosystems on the basis of their type of vegetation because vegetation can easily be seen. This is most often done by using vegetation because all the animals in an ecosystem rely on the vegetation as their source of energy (food). Thus, ecosystems can be viewed as distinct vegetation units, such as an oak wood, a tropical rain forest, temperate grassland or desert scrubland. Together with their animal populations (including humans) and habitat conditions (soil, terrain, microclimate), they constitute well-defined ecological units.
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Facts about Ecosystem
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1. An ecosystem is a collection of living and non-living things that work together to keep things alive.
2. Plants are called producers because they make food. They use energy from the sun to combine CO2 and H2O.
3. Some animals get energy from plants. In the ecosystem they are called consumers.
4. Some animals get energy by eating other animals. In the ecosystem they are called secondary consumers.
5. When organisms (living things) die, they are turned into soil by decomposers. These include fungus, bacteria, and insects. (FBI).
6. Non-living things are also part of an ecosystem. Air, water and soil contain materials needed by living things.
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