Matter Exchange in Ecosystems

1. Concept:

Matter exchange in an ecosystem is the process of transforming and cycling matter between the components of the ecosystem, including:

• Within the community of organisms: Species within the community exchange matter with each other through food chains and food webs.

• Between the community of organisms and the environment: The community of organisms exchanges matter with the surrounding environment through processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition of organic matter.

2. Matter Exchange within the Community of Organisms:

• Food chain: A chain consisting of multiple species that are nutritionally linked, with each species being a link in the chain. One link is both a food source for the link behind it and the consumer of the link in front of it.

• Types of food chains:

• Food chains consisting of autotrophs -> herbivores -> carnivores.

• Food chains consisting of decomposers of organic matter -> animals that consume decomposers -> carnivores.

• Food web: Consists of many food chains with some shared links. One species can participate in multiple different food chains.

• Diversity of the community: The more diverse the community is, the more complex the food web becomes.

• Trophic level: Species at the same nutritional level within a food web form a trophic level. The final level is the highest trophic level.

3. Nutritional Relationship:

Food webs and trophic levels are constructed to depict the nutritional relationships between species in a community.

4. Trophic Level Size:

The size of trophic levels is determined by:

• Number of individuals.

• Biomass.

• Energy.

5. Ecological Pyramid:

• Purpose: Constructed to examine the nutritional level at each level and the entire community.

• Types of ecological pyramids:

• Pyramid of numbers: Based on the number of individuals of each trophic level.

• Pyramid of biomass: Based on the total mass of all organisms per unit area or volume at each trophic level.

• Pyramid of energy: Based on the amount of energy accumulated per unit area or volume in a unit of time at each trophic level.

• Most complete pyramid: Pyramid of energy.

Conclusion: Matter exchange is an important process in an ecosystem, ensuring balance and the maintenance of life for all living organisms.