Question

According to E.P. Odum, what is considered the basic fundamental unit of ecology?

• A. Biosphere
• B. Ecosystem
• C. Community
• D. Population

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Ecosystem

The Ecosystem: Fundamental Unit of Ecology

• E.P. Odum, an influential American ecologist, is widely regarded as the 'father of modern ecology' for his pioneering work and comprehensive textbooks on the subject.
• He emphasized that the ecosystem serves as the basic fundamental unit of ecology because it encompasses both the living organisms and their non-living environment, interacting together as a functional system.
• The term 'ecosystem' was originally coined by the British ecologist Arthur Tansley in 1935, but Odum's work significantly popularized and developed the concept as a central framework for ecological studies.

• Key Components of an Ecosystem:

  • Biotic Components: These are the living parts, categorized into:
    • Producers (Autotrophs): Organisms like plants and algae that produce their own food through photosynthesis.
    • Consumers (Heterotrophs): Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms (e.g., herbivores, carnivores, omnivores).
    • Decomposers (Detritivores): Organisms like bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the environment.
  • Abiotic Components: These are the non-living physical and chemical factors of the environment, such as sunlight, water, soil, temperature, pH, oxygen, and inorganic nutrients.

• Fundamental Processes within an Ecosystem:

  1. Energy Flow: Energy enters the ecosystem primarily from the sun, is captured by producers, and then flows through various trophic levels (feeding levels) to consumers and decomposers. This flow is unidirectional and diminishes at each successive level.
  2. Nutrient Cycling (Biogeochemical Cycles): Essential nutrients (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water) are continuously recycled between the biotic and abiotic components, making them available for reuse by organisms.
• Understanding the ecosystem concept is crucial for studying environmental issues, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource management.
• Examples of ecosystems range in size from a small puddle to a vast ocean, a forest, a desert, or even a single tree stump.
• For competitive exams, it's important to differentiate between ecological levels: a population (group of individuals of the same species), a community (all populations of different species in an area), an ecosystem (community + abiotic environment), a biome (large regional ecosystem characterized by climate and dominant vegetation), and the biosphere (the sum of all ecosystems on Earth).