ECOSYSTEMENERGY FLOW,WATER AND

CARBON CYCLE

Vivek KumarSt. Vincent Pallotti College of

Engineering and Technology, Nagpur

Email: vicky0705@gmail.com

WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?• System = regularly interacting and

interdependent components forming a unified whole

• Ecosystem = an ecological system;

= a community and its physical environment treated together as a functional system

OR, MORE SIMPLY• An ecosystem is composed of the

organisms and physical environment of a specified area.

• SIZE: micro to MACRO

ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEMS

• All organisms require energy,

for growth, maintenance, reproduction, locomotion, etc.

• Hence, for all organisms there must be:

• A source of energy

• A loss of usable energy

An ecosystem has abiotic and biotic components:

• ABIOTIC components:

• Solar energy provides practically all the energy for ecosystems.

• Inorganic substances, e.g., sulfur, boron, tend to cycle through ecosystems.

• Organic compounds, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and other complex molecules, form a link between biotic and abiotic components of the system.

AUTOTROPHS• Autotrophs (=self-nourishing) are

called primary producers.

• Photoautotrophs fix energy from the sun and store it in complex organic compounds(green plants, algae, some bacteria).

photoautotrophssimpleinorganiccompounds

complexorganic compounds

light

HETEROTROPHS• Heterotrophs (=other-nourishing) cannot

produce their own food directly from sunlight+ inorganic compounds.

• They require energy previously stored in complex molecules.

heterotrophssimpleinorganiccompounds

complexorganic compounds

heat

• Heterotrophs can be grouped as:

• Consumers

• Decomposers

Energy flow• Simplistically:

• This pattern of energy flow among different organisms is the TROPHIC STRUCTURE of an ecosystem.

heat

Producers Consumers

Decomposers

heat

TYPES OF WATER ECOSYSTEMS

• The water on earth is categorized into two groups: freshwater ecosystems and saltwater ecosystems.

• Saltwater is water that has a lot of salt in it.• Freshwater is water that contains very little

salt.

SALTWATER ECOSYSTEMS

• Oceans, seas, and some lakes are examples of saltwater ecosystems.

• The amount of salt in each one is not the same.

• Plants and animals live in the shallow (not deep) parts because the suns shines more in these areas.

Animals Found in Saltwater Ecosystems

fish

whales

penguins

sharks

crustaceans

sponges

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS• These include rivers, streams, lakes, and

ponds.• Rivers and streams have moving water. The

water may be moving fast or slow. • Lake are usually larger and deeper than

ponds.• Just like in the oceans, plants and animals

live in the shallow (less deep) parts. The sun shines more in the shallow parts.

Animals Found in Freshwater Ecosystems

Pufferfish

Bullfrog

Turtle

Trout

Pelican

Otter

Grebe

Water cycle

Carbon Cycle Basics

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Global Carbon Cycle

Carbon is exchanged between the active pools due to various processes – photosynthesis and respiration between the land and the atmosphere, and diffusion between the ocean and the atmosphere.

THANK YOU