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ECOSYSTEMS

This document discusses key concepts in ecology including ecosystems, food chains, and food webs. It defines ecosystems as consisting of interacting living and non-living components. Food chains represent a linear transfer of energy from producers to consumers, while food webs illustrate multiple interconnected food chains. The document also examines different types of ecosystems like forests and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within trophic levels.

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43 views8 pages

ECOSYSTEMS

This document discusses key concepts in ecology including ecosystems, food chains, and food webs. It defines ecosystems as consisting of interacting living and non-living components. Food chains represent a linear transfer of energy from producers to consumers, while food webs illustrate multiple interconnected food chains. The document also examines different types of ecosystems like forests and the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers within trophic levels.

Uploaded by

ammarahn0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

What are the features that make earth as the only planet to
support life?
a. Presence of gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide etc. in the
atmosphere
b. Presence of water in the hydrosphere
c. Presence of nutrients in the lithosphere
d. Right temperature

2. What is biosphere?
The part of the earth consisting of living organisms
extending from the uppermost part of the atmosphere to
the lowermost part of the hydrosphere.

3. What is an ecosystem?
The self-sustained structural and functional unit of the
environment where living and non-living components
interact with each other is called an ecosystem.

4. State the components of an ecosystem.


Biotic components- living organisms
Abiotic components- non-living part of the environment

5. What is Ecology?
The study of the interaction between the biotic and abiotic
components in an ecosystem is called ecology.

6. State the types of ecosystems with examples.


a. Natural- pond
b. Artificial- aquarium
7. State the main types of biotic components.
a. Producers- all green plants which can make their own
food
b. Consumers- all organisms which feed on the green plants
directly or indirectly
c. Decomposers- which breakdown the dead organic matter
into simple products

8. State the types of consumers with two examples each.


a. Herbivores- animals which feed only on plants Eg. Deer,
grass hopper
b. Carnivores- animals which feed on the flesh of other
animals Eg. Lion, eagle
c. Omnivores- animals which feed both on plants and the
flesh of other animals Eg. Crow, bear
d. Scavengers- animals which feed on the flesh of dead
animals Eg. Hyena, vulture

9. Differentiate between decomposers and detritivores with


examples.
Decomposers Detritivores
Organisms which Organisms which feed on
breakdown dead organic remains of the dead plants
matter and feed on it and animals
Examples- bacteria & fungi Examples- termites,
earthworm

10. What do you mean by trophic levels? State the


organisms at each level.
The various levels in a food chain or food web at which
transfer of food and energy takes place are known as
trophic levels.
1st trophic level- Producers
2nd trophic level- Herbivores
3rd trophic level- Carnivores
4th trophic level- Top carnivores

11. Differentiate between food chain and food web.


Food chain Food web
a sequential process in a network of several
which one organism eats interlinked food chains
another organism in the
form of a chain
energy flow is always energy flow in a food web
unidirectional has several alternative
pathways

12. State the importance of food web.


 protects organisms from starvation
 maintains balance in an ecosystem
 prevents the threat of extinction of species

13. Nature prefers food web over food chain. Explain.


Nature prefers food web over food chain because it offers
alternate options for food which prevents organisms from
starving.
14. What happens to the amount of energy as it flows
through a food chain? Why?
The amount of energy decreases as it flows through a food
chain because some amount is utilized by the organisms at
each trophic level and some amount is lost in the form of
heat.

15. What do you mean by food pyramid?


The graphical representation of a food chain in the form of
a pyramid is called food pyramid.

16. What do you mean by pyramid of number?


A food pyramid is a graphical representation of the number
of organisms at each trophic level of a food chain.

17. What are the types of food pyramids? Give one


example and draw neat diagrams of each.
a. Upright pyramid of number Eg. Grassland food chain
b. Partly upright pyramid of number Eg. Forest food Chain
c. Inverted pyramid of number Eg. Parasitic food chain

UPRIGHT PYRAMID PARTLY UPRIGHT PYRAMID INVERTED PYRAMID


IN GRASSLAND FOOD CHAIN IN FOREST FOOD CHAIN IN PARASITIC FOOD CHAIN
18. State the types of interdependence seen among
organisms with examples.
a. Mutualism / symbiosis- partnership in which both the
partners benefit mutually
Eg. Acasia tree and ants- ants prevent damage to the tree
by other insects and in return get shelter
b. Parasitism- partnership in which one partner gets
benefited at the cost of the other
Eg. Tapeworm (parasite) in humans (host)
c. Predation- a partnership between two different
organisms in which one (predator) eats the other (prey)
Eg. Lion (predator) and deer (prey)
d. Commensalism- a partnership in which one partner gets
benefited without causing harm or loss to the other
partner
Eg. Shark and remora

19. What do you mean by cannibalism?


Cannibalism is a predatory relationship in which both the
predator and the prey are of the same species.

20. Name the abiotic components of an ecosystem and


state their importance.
a. Air-
 oxygen- respiration
 carbon dioxide- photosynthesis
 nitrogen- essential component of protein- growth

b. Water-
 medium of metabolism in all living organisms
 needed for photosynthesis
 habitat for many organisms
c. Soil-
 store house of water and nutrients- useful to plants
 habitat for many organisms
d. Sunlight-
 primary source of energy
 needed for photosynthesis
 influences animal behavior
e. Temperature-
 influences distribution of living organisms in an ecosystem
 influences activities like migration, hibernation, etc.
f. Wind-
 brings about pollination and dispersal of seeds
 leads to evaporation of water for transpiration for
cloud formation and rain fall
g. Humidity-
 affects the rate of evaporation of water & transpiration
 influences climatic conditions

21. Differentiate between flora and fauna.


Flora- naturally growing plants in a particular geographic
area
Fauna- naturally found animals in a particular geographic
area

22. Name the types of forest ecosystems.


• tropical rain forests
• temperate deciduous forests
• coniferous forests (boreal or taiga)
23. Name the types of producers (flora) in the forest
ecosystems.
 Canopy
 Lianas
 Epiphytes
 Mosses
 Ferns

24. Give two examples each for the types of consumers in


the forest ecosystems.
Primary consumers- macaws, fruit bat
Secondary consumers- frog, vampire bats
Tertiary consumers- python, jaguar

25. List the importance of trees as producers of forest


ecosystem.
 clean the air
 cool the climate
 conserve heat in the night
 good sound absorbers
 provide shelter, shade and protection to the animals

26. How imbalance is caused in ecosystem by human


activities? List its effects.
Overpopulation has led to increased demands for resources
which in turn leads to-
• overexploitation of natural resources
• deforestation
• mineral extraction
• excessive use of chemicals
Effects-
• degradation & imbalance in the ecosystem
• green hose effect and ozone depletion

27. Form as many food chains as you can from the list of
organisms given below and link them in a logical way to
form a food web.
Frog, rat, plants, grasshopper,
snake, worms, owl, eagle, hen

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