Question

Describe the components of an ecosystem.

Answer 1

Ecosystem represents how living beings are connected with the abiotic components in the world.The interconnection between the living which we call biotic and the non living or abiotic comprises the ecosytem.So ecosystem is majorly comprised by abiotic and biotic components.

Water,air,soil contribute abiotic components of the ecosystem.These are the components with which the biotic component interacts daily.For example-some fish thrive in salt water some fish thrive in fresh water.

The biotic component is contributed by living organisms :Trees being the "producers" who produce their own food with the help of photosynthesis.

Consumers can be divided into primary,secondary,tertiary and quaternanry consumers.

[Primary consumers are predominantly herbivores and rabbits,goats etc come under this category.

Secondary consumers are those animals who eat the herbivores or primary consumers.

Tertiary consumers eat these secondary consumers and quaternary consumers are those animals who eat secondary or tertiary consumers.]

Now comes the reducers or decomposers like dung beetles,some bacteria and fungi who break down the dead organisms and waste material and return the nutrients back to the soil which the plant use up again.Thus decomposers contribute to recycling of nutrients