Question

Describe the components of an ecosystem.

Answer 1

There are two main components of an eosystem : abiotic and biotic.

The relationship between the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem is known as holocoenosis.

The abiotic components of an ecosystem are the non living factors that determine what life forms can thrive in that ecosystem. Examples of abiotic components include light, water, temperature, air, soil.

The abiotic components can be classified into three factors:

i) Climatic factors incudes light, humidity, wing and surrounding temperature.

ii) Edaphic factors include the physical and chemical properties of soil such as the type of soil, water content of the soil, mineral content, soil profile, soil microflora.

iii) organic and inorganic substances

Biotic components: includes the living organisms of the ecosystem such as the producers, consumers, decomposers.

Producers include the plants and algae, which contain the pigment chlorophyll and carry out the process of phototsynthesis in the presence of light.

There are three types of consumers: herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.

Decomposers include the bacteria and fungi which obtain their nutrition by feeding on dead remains of plants and animals.