write about balance in ecosystem in 1000 words
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Answers
The descriptive device used to explore the trophic structure of an ecosystem is called a trophic pyramid. The purpose of a trophic pyramid is to graphically represent the distribution of biomass or energy among the different trophic levels of the ecosystem. An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the number of organisms, biomass or biomass productivity and energy transferred at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.
Charles Elton developed the concept of ecological pyramid. After his name these pyramids are also called as Eltonian pyramids. Ecological pyramids begin with producers on the bottom (such as plants) and proceed through the various trophic levels (such as herbivores that eat plants, then carnivores that eat herbivores, then carnivores that eat those carnivores, and so on). The highest level is the top of the food chain.
Biomass is the amount of living or organic matter present in an organism. Biomass pyramids show how much biomass is present in the organisms at each trophic level, while productivity pyramids show the production or turnover in biomass. The total amount of living or organic matter in an ecosystem at any time is called ‘Biomass’.
An ecological pyramid of biomass shows the relationship between biomass and trophic level by quantifying the amount of biomass present at each trophic level of an ecological community at a particular moment in time.
In an aquatic habitat the pyramid of biomass is inverted or spindle shaped where the biomass of trophic level depends upon the reproductive potential and longevity of the member.
In a pond ecosystem, the phytoplanktons are the major producers, at any given point. This phytoplankton will be lower than the mass of the heterotrophs, such as fish and insects. This is explained as the phytoplanktons reproduce very quickly, but have much shorter individual lives.
When larger weight/biomass of producers support the smaller weight of consumers (primary, secondary and onwards) an upright pyramid of biomass is resulted. In forest or terrestrial ecosystem plants or producer have maximum dry weight while primary consumer depends upon them have low dry weight as compared to them. Secondary and tertiary consumer also show loss in dry weight successively. Thus, the pyramid of biomass in a terrestrial ecosystem is upright.
Ecosystem community may be represented in terms of number of organism. When the relationships among the number of producers, primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivore of order 1), tertiary consumers (carnivore of order 2) and so on in any ecosystem, it forms a pyramidal structure called the pyramid of number. “Pyramid of numbers is the graphic representation of number of individuals per unit area of various trophic levels stepwise with producers forming the base and top carnivores the tip”. The shape of this pyramid varies from ecosystem to ecosystem.
In aquatic and grassland ecosystem numerous small autotrophs support lesser herbivores which support further smaller number of carnivores and hence the pyramidal structure is upright.In forest ecosystem lesser number of producers support greater number of herbivores who in turn support a fewer number of carnivores. Thus number or organism producer to herbivore increase, while herbivore to carnivore and carnivore to successive trophic level number of organism decrease.