Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and

their natural environment. Topics of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems.

An ecosystem is an area in the world where living and non living features interacts with each other. Ecosystems can be as small as a fish tank and as big the world we live in. Lets take your neighborhood park for example, think of all the living organisms: squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and plants. Then think about all the non living features: the temperature, the water, the soil, the air, the rain, sun. For example the plants interact with the sun, soil, and temperature; with bad soil the plant can't grow, without the sun it can't make food and if the temperature is to low or to high the plant will die.

Arthur Tansley, a British ecologist, was the first person to use the term "ecosystem" in a published work. Tansley devised the concept to draw attention to the importance of transfers of materials between organisms and their environment.[

There are two components of an ecosystem; Living components and non living components.

Living components in an ecosystem are either producers or consumers. They are also called biotic components. Producers can produce organic components e.g. plants can produce starch, carbohydrates, cellulose from a process called photosynthesis. Consumers are the components that are dependent on producers for their food e.g. human beings and animals.

Non living components are the physical and chemical factors that directly or indirectly affect the living components e.g. air, water, land, rock etc. Non living components are also called Abiotic components. Physical factors includes: sunlight, water, fire, soil, air, temperature etc. Chemical factors includes: moisture, salinity of water, soil nutrients, oxygen dissolved in water etc

The main function of ecosystem is energy transferred through food to animals & continue maintain food cycle

In an ecosystem there are two processes proceeding simultaneously: 1 ) Energy flow and 2 ) Biogeochemical cycle

The energy flow is in a single direction and is non-cyclic where as Biogeochemical flow is cyclic (Any mineral cycle)

There are basically two types of ecosystems; Terrestrial and Aquatic. All other sub-ecosystems fall under these two.

Terrestrial ecosystems are found everywhere apart from water bodies. They are broadly classified into:

The Forest Ecosystem The Desert Ecosystem The Grassland Ecosystem The Mountain Ecosystem

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water. It comprises aquatic fauna, flora and the properties of water too. There are two types of aquatic ecosystems, Marine and freshwater.

Producers are any kind of green plant. Green plants make their food by taking sunlight and using the energy to make sugar. The plant uses this sugar, also called glucose to make many things, such as wood, leaves, roots, and bark. Trees, such as they mighty Oak, and the grand American Beech, are examples of producers.

Consumers have to feed on producers or other consumers to survive. Deer are herbivores, which means that they only eat plants (Producers). Bears are another example of consumers. Black bears are omnivores and scavengers, like skunks and raccoons, which means that they will eat just about anything. In a forest community, Black Bears will eat blueberries, bugs, acorns, and many kinds of nuts.

Decomposers are the garbage men of the animal kingdom; they take all the dead animals and plants (consumers and decomposers) and break them down into their nutrient components so that plants can use them to make more food. Decomposers in the forest come in many different shapes and sizes.

Producers

Decomposers

Proprducers

Consumers Consumers