Biotic components refer to all life in an ecosystem. Based on nutrition, biotic components can be categorised into autotrophs, heterotrophs and saprotrophs (or decomposers).
Producers include all autotrophs such as plants. They are called autotrophs as they can produce food through the process of photosynthesis. Consequently, all other organisms higher up on the food chain rely on producers for food.
Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for food. Consumers are further classified into primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary consumers.
Primary consumers are always herbivores that they rely on producers for food.
Secondary consumers depend on primary consumers for energy. They can either be a carnivore or an omnivore.
Tertiary consumers are organisms that depend on secondary consumers for food. Tertiary consumers can also be an omnivore.
Quaternary consumers are present in some food chains. These organisms prey on tertiary consumers for energy. Furthermore, they are usually at the top of a food chain as they have no natural predators.
Decomposers include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive on the dead and decaying organic matter. Decomposers are essential for the ecosystem as they help in recycling nutrients to be reused by plants.
Abiotic Components
Abiotic components are the non-living component of an ecosystem. It includes air, water, soil, minerals, sunlight, temperature, nutrients, wind, altitude, turbidity, etc.
Functions of Ecosystem
The functions of the ecosystem are as follows:
It regulates the essential ecological processes, supports life systems and renders stability.
It is also responsible for the cycling of nutrients between biotic and abiotic components.
It maintains a balance among the various trophic levels in the ecosystem.
It cycles the minerals through the biosphere.
The abiotic components help in the synthesis of organic components that involves the exchange of energy.
So the functional units of an ecosystem or functional components that work together in an ecosystem are:
Productivity – It refers to the rate of biomass production.
Energy flow – It is the sequential process through which energy flows from one trophic level to another. The energy captured from the sun flows from producers to consumers and then to decomposers and finally back to the environment.
Decomposition – It is the process of breakdown of dead organic material. The top-soil is the major site for decomposition.
Nutrient cycling – In an ecosystem nutrients are consumed and recycled back in various forms for the utilisation by various organisms.
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Answer:
dead organic material back in various