Describe the components of an ecosystem.

Explanation

The components of ecosystem may be divided into two main types biotic component comprising the various kinds of organisms and abiotic component consisting of environmental factors.
a. Biotic components : The living organisms present in an ecosystem form the biotic components. They are interconnected through food. Based on the mode of obtaining food, the organisms occurring in an ecosystem are classified into three main categories. They are producer, consumers and decomposers.
i. Producers : They produce food materials. These are of two types photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs.
Photoautotrophs : These are green plants that having chlorophylls. They trap the light energy and change it into chemical energy.
Chemoautotrophs : Some bacteria such as sulphur bacteria, iron bacteria etc. capture energy released during chemical reactions and prepare organic food.
ii. Consumers : These are mainly animals which are unable to prepare their own food. So they utilize the materials and energy stored by the producers. Consumers are of 3 types. They are primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers etc.
iii. Decomposers : These are the organisms which decompose the dead organic bodies of producers and consumers. These are mainly bacteria and fungi. They are also known as saprotrophs.
b. Abiotic factors : These include the non - living, physicochemical factors of the environment. These components affect the distribution, structure, behaviour and relationship of organisms. Abiotic factors include inorganic substances, organic compounds and climatic factors.