Topic 3 - BALANCE OF NATURE
TOPIC
3: BALANCE OF NATURE
The
Natural Environment
The Concept of Natural Environment
Explain
the concept of natural environment
Natural environment is made up of all living and
non living things that occur naturally on earth. An organism living anywhere in
any environment is affected by the things around it such as air, water,
animals, plants, microorganism, stones, rock, soil, clouds and the sun.
everything around it in fact makes its natural environment. It is important to
understand that the environment includes all living things as well as non
living things.
IMPORTANT TERMS
(i)
Ecology:
is the branch of biology that deals with studying interaction oforganisms with
their environment
(ii)
Population:
is the total number of organisms of the same species living in a certain area.
Example the number of frogs in a pond
(iii)
Community:
this refers to the sum of total of all population of different organisms living
in a specific called habitat
(iv)
Habitat:
is the specific area where an organism is found and adopted. i.e it is an
appropriate for the certain community example an ocean, grassland, and a pond
(v) Ecosystem: refers to a natural unit made up of
living and non living things whose interaction
Biotic and Abiotic Components of the Environment
Describe
biotic and abiotic components of the environment
There are two components of environment,;
(i)
Biotic
(living things)
(ii) Abiotic (non living things)
BIOTIC COMPONENT
These are living components in the environment such
as animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. These organisms interact
together in number of ways and these ways of interaction include the following;
(i)
Competition
That organisms must compete for limited resources in struggle for life. For an
organism to survive in an ecosystem it must compete with partner for the
limited resources.
(ii)
Predation
Is the system in which one organism utilize the other as food. The eater is a
predator while the eaten is a prey and a number of predators and preys regulate
each other
(iii)
Symbiotic
relationship This is where there is a close relationship or association between
organisms this association could take various forms like mutualism,
commensalism, and parasitism
(iv) Adaptation Adaptation has enabled organisms to
survive. They may be anatomically structurally physiologically or behavioural.
Eg some organisms are poisoners to their predator while others while others
develop warming colouration
ABIOTIC COMPONENTS
These include non living organisms that are found
in ecosystem. Example air solar, energy, soil, and nutrients. Generally abiotic
components of an ecosystem consist of physical environment and they are as
follows.
(i)
Climatic
factor Several change of climatic condition influence or determine the survival
of organisms in ecosystem such condition include temperature, humidity,
pressure etc
(ii)
Aquatic
condition Changes in the aquatic environment and the nature of environment it
is self determined by the type of organism found in the area such a changes
include water current, wave action, salinity, etc
(iii)
Light
condition factor These affect much plant population where photosynthetic
process depend on the availability of light.
(iv) Soil factor/condition. These are also adaphic
factors and they include soil texture, soil structure and soil PH
The
Importance of the Natural Environment
Explain
the importance of the natural environment
IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
(i)
It is
a source of food to organisms
(ii)
It
provides shelter and security for organisms
(iii)
It
allow living and non living things to interact
(iv) It provides an appropriate setting for organisms to
reproduce and increase in number.
Interactive
of Organisms in the Environment
Ways
in Which Living Organisms Interact with the Non Living Component of the
Environment
Identify ways in which living organisms interact
with the non living component of the environment
The following are the interaction of organism in
the environment
(i)
Ground
water and water from rain flow into streams and rivers
(ii)
The
stream and rivers flow into lakes and ocean
(iii)
Water
evaporate into the atmosphere from lakes and ocean and from plants through
transpiration
(iv)
The
evaporated water precipitates to form water vapor which condenses to form
clouds
(v)
Wind
causes clouds to move for example from above the ocean to above the land
(vi) Rain fall and absorbed by plants or form grounds
water, and the cycle begins again..
The
Interaction of Organisms among Themselves
Explain the interaction of organisms among
themselves
INTERACTION AMONG LIVING ORGANISMS
(i)
CompetitionThat
organisms must compete for limited resources in struggle for life. For an
organism to survive in an ecosystem it must compete with partner for the
limited resources .EXAMPLE lions and leopards both hunt zebra, and so they are
competitors
(ii)
PredationIs
the system in which one organism utilize the other as food. The eater is
apredator while the eaten is a prey and a number of predators and preysregulate
each other. e,g cats eat mice
(iii)
SymbiosisThis
is where there is a close relationship or association between organisms this association
could take various forms like mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism
(iv)
Mutualism
is a relationship where two organisms benefit each other for example the
rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules of legumes fix nitrogen into nitrate to
ne used by the plant
(v)
AdaptationAdaptation
has enabled organisms to survive. They may be an atomically structurally
physiologically or behavioural. Eg some organisms are poisoners to their
predator while others while others develop warming coloration
(vi)
Commensalism
is the interaction that is beneficial to one organism and is neutral to the
other organism. For example when a bird builds a hole or a nest in a tree
(vii) Parasitism is the association where one organism
benefit while the other is harmed. E.g plasmodium that cause malaria to human
Food
Chain and Food Web
The
Meaning of Food Chain and Food Web
Explain the meaning of food chain and food web
FOOD CHAIN
Is the sequence of living things in which each
organism is the food of the next in thesequence.
(i) Grass →Zebra→Lion
(ii) Maize plant→grasshoppe→rFrog
FOOD WEB
Is made of interconnecting food chains
The
Components of a Food Chain and Food Web
Mention the components of a food chain and food web
(i)
Producers
Are organism that can manufacture their own food for
example green plants and green bacteria
(ii)
Primary
consumers
They are organisms that feed on producers for
example rabbits, buffalo andsheep
(iii)
Secondary
consumer
They are organisms that feed on primary consumer
(iv)
Decomposers
These
organisms feed on dead matter and break it down thereby facilitating
decomposition. For example bacteria and fungi
The
Difference between Food Chain and Food Web
Distinguish food chain from food web
Differences between food chain and food web
|
Food chain |
Food web |
|
1. It consists of the single straight
pathwaythrough which food energy travels in an ecosystem |
1. It consists of a number of inter connected
food chains through which energy travels in an ecosystem |
|
2. Usually members of the higher trophic level
feed upon a single type of organisms of lower trophic level |
2. Usually members of the higher trophic level
feed upon many organisms of lower trophic level |
|
3. Isolated or separate food chainsincreases the
instability of the ecosystem |
3. Presence of complex food websincreases the
stability of the ecosystem |
|
4. It does not have any effect on improving the
adaptability and competitiveness of the organisms |
4. More complex food webs improves the
adaptability and competitiveness of the organisms |
Diagrammatic
Representation of a Food Chain and Food Web
Construct a diagrammatic representation of a food
chain and food web
Food chain
Food chain example
(i)
Grass
→cow→human being
(ii) Phytoplankton→fish→bird
Food web
The
Significance of Food Chain and Food Web in Real Life Situation
Explain the significance of food chain and food web
in real life situation
The following are the significant of food chain and
food web
(i)
Food
chains and webs help in the flow of energy from producers to consumers and from
one trophic level to another, without which energy flow would be impossible.
(ii)
Food
chain studies have had an important role in ecotoxicology studies tracing path
ways and biomagnifications of environmental contaminants.
(iii)
Learning
how the food chain works enable us to understand the importance living
organisms that make up the food chain and how the ecology is balanced. This is
crucial since any interruption in food chain could lead to ecosystem imbalance.
(iv)
Food
chains and webs show the flow of energy through an ecosystem.
(v) Understanding the effect of polluting the natural
environment enable us to avoid or control environmental pollution so as to
maintain natural ecosystems.