1. UNDERSTANDING THE NATURAL
AND MAN-MADE
ECOSYSTEM
LESSON
1

2. Intended Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this presentation students will able to:
1. Explain the fundamentals concept of Ecosystem.
2. Identify the different classification of an
ecosystem.
3. Create a model of an ecosystem.

3. What is
Environmental Science?

4. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
PHYSICAL
CHEMICAL
BIOLOGICAL
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T
E
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
S
CO
M
P
O
N
E
N
T
S
ECOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
ENGINEERING
GEOLOGY
ECONOMICS
POLITICS
ETHICS
HUMAN
ACTIVITIES
DEVELOPMENT
AND
ISSUESS
Pollution, Illegal Logging,
Deforestation, BIOLOGICAL
BIODIVERSITY
AND
SUSTAINABILITY
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P
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Climate change,
Biodiversity,
Conservation, and
desertification, Use of
Energy Resources,
Waste Management,
Pollution, and
Sustainable
SOCIAL
SCIENCES
ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
NATURAL
SCIENCES

5. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
DEFINITION:
Knowledge pertaining to the
Environment that will be
given to Primary, Secondary
and Tertiary Level of
education , to address the
demands and challenges, to
incorporate social and
environmental issues,
concerns, and awareness.
The Schools provide the best
venue and training ground
to introduce , support and
promote ecological
awareness, action and
commitment among
students.
GOALS:
To develop an
environmentally literate
citizenry who will support and
ensure the protection ,
conservation, and
improvement of the
environment.
To ensure the safeguard and
promote sustainable living and
development, social equity and
economic efficiency in
utilization of our natural
resources.
HISTORY:
United Nations Conference
on Environment and
Development –June 3-14, 1992
–Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Global Forum-1994
“Unless there were changes in
the ways in which
development pursuits
proceeded, there would be a
very significant increase of
human deprivation and
suffering and environmental
damage.
Challenge to Education
Sector.

6. SEVEN ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES
 Environmental Principle No. 1- Nature Knows Best
 Environmental Principle No. 2- All Forms of Life are Important
 Environmental Principle No. 3- Everything is Related to Everything Else
 Environmental Principle No. 4- Changes
 Environmental Principle No. 5- Everything Must go Somewhere
 Environmental Principle No. 6- Finiteness of Resources
 Environmental Principle No. 7- Nature is Beautiful and We are Stewards of God’s
Creation.

7. Environmental Principle No. 1:
Nature Knows Best
ENVIRONMENT NATURAL PROCESSES
CARBON-OXYGEN CYCLE
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
NITROGEN CYCLE
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
SULFUR CYCLE
E
C
O
L
O
G
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C
A
L
B
A
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A
N
C
E

8. Environmental Principle No. 2-
All Forms of Life are Important
B
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L
O
G
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C
A
L
D
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V
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S
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Y
SPECIES
DIVERSITY
(Number of Species)
GENE TIC
DIVERSITY
(Variety of genes in the
gene pool)
COMMUNITY
DIVERSITY
(Number of communities
in a given area)
CULTURAL
DIVERSITY
0THERS
LANGUAGE
TRADITION
POLITICAL
BELIEFS
RELIGION
HUMAN LEVEL
FOOD CHAIN

9. VVV
Environmental Principle No. 3-
Everything is Related to Everything Else
E
C
O
S
Y
S
T
E
M
I
N
T
E
R
A
C
T
I
O
N
B
I
O
S
P
H
E
R
E
E
C
O
S
Y
S
T
E
M
1
INTERACTION BETWEEN
ABIOTIC FACTORS
2
INTERACTION BETWEEN
BIOTIC FACTORS
3
INTERACTION BETWEEN
BIOTIC FACTORS
AND
ABIOTIC FACTORS
BIOTIC
ABIOTIC

10. Environmental Principle No. 4-
Changes
NATURAL CHANGE CHANGE VIA HUMAN ACTIVITIES
NATURAL SYSTEM
HUMAN SYSTEM
INTERACTION
POPULATION EXPLOSION
RAPID CHANGES
HIGH-TECHNOLOGY
INFRASTRUCTURES
MODERN MEDICINE
ADVANCE AGRICULTURE
INVENTIONS
INNOVATIONS
D
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T
R
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C
T
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O
N
S
Loss of
biodiversity
Deforestation
Loss of habitat
Extinction of
Species
Deformities of
Mountains
Severe Pollutions
Global Warming
Rapid Climate
Change
Scarcity of
Resources
C
A
T
A
S
T
R
O
P
I
C
F
O
R
C
E
S
VOLCANIC ERRUPTIONS
EARTHQUAKES
TSUNAMI
TYPHOONS
SOIL EROSIONS
SAND STORM
FLASHFOODS
R
A
N
D
O
M
C
H
A
N
G
E
S
NATURAL PHENOMENA

11. v
Environmental Principle No. 5-
Everything Must go Somewhere
EARTH
ATMOSPHERE
HYDROSPHERE
LITHOSPHERE
BIOSPHERE

12. v
Environmental Principle No. 6-
Finiteness of Resources
MICE
DEER
SNAKES
1 HECTARE OF LAND
DEER=10
SNAKES=100
MICE = 1000
EARTH CARRYING
CAPACITY
OVER POPULATION
0R
DEPOPULATION
IMBALANCE

13. v
Environmental Principle No. 7-
Nature is Beautiful and We are Stewards of
God’s Creation.
DESTRUCTION
PROTECTION
CONSERVATION
PRESERVATION
HUMAN
(RATI0NAL BEINGS)

14. • ‘Environment’ was derived from a French word
‘environner’ which means to encircle or to surround.
• Environment is the totality of all the external
conditions affecting the life, development and
survival of an organism (OECD, 2005).
• Naturally produced physical surroundings are
entirely dependent in all our activities.
• Environmental functions are various uses to which
these surroundings are put for economic ends.
Environment

15. LITHOSPHERE
HYDROSPHERE
ATMOSPHERE
BIOSPHERE
4
Spheres

16. Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere

18. Did you know
this?

20. What is Ecosystem?
• It was first proposed by the British ecologist Arthur G.
Tansley (1935).
• Ecosystem is an ecological unit where biotic (living things)
and abiotic (non-living things) factors interact with each
other forming a system.

21. What do you
think are the
components of
ECOSYSTEM?

22. Figure 1. Structure and Components of Ecosystem

23. What is Trophic Structure?
• Trophic came from the Greek word “trophe ‘” = “nourishment”,.
• Ecosystem is two-layered:
(1) An upper, autotrophic (“self-nourishing”) stratum or “green
belt” of chlorophyll-containing plants in which the fixation of light
energy, the use of simple inorganic substances, and the
build up of complex organic substances predominate.
(2) a lower, heterotrophic (“other-nourished”) stratum or “brown
belt” of soils and sediments, decaying matter, roots, and so on, in
which the use, rearrangement, and decomposition of complex
materials predominate.
• Trophic levels refers to the different stages of feeding position in
a food chain such as primary producers and consumers of
different types.

24. Trophic Structure of Food Chain
• Producers (First Trophic Level)
− They form the first level of every food chain.
- Plants and one-celled organisms, some types of bacteria, algae,
etc.
- Virtually, almost all autotrophs use a process called
photosynthesis to prepare food.
• Consumers − At the second trophic level, there are consumers
who depend upon others for food.
• Primary Consumers (Second Trophic Level) − Primary consumers
eat the producers. They are called herbivores.

25. Trophic Structure of Food Chain
• Secondary Consumers (Third Trophic Level) − Secondary
consumers based at the third trophic level eat plants and
herbivores. They are both carnivores (meat eaters) and
omnivores (animals that eat both animals and plants).
• Tertiary Consumers (Fourth Trophic Level) − Tertiary consumers
are animals eating other carnivores.
• Decomposers − Decomposers which don’t always appear in the
pictorial presentation of the food chain, play an important part in
completing the food chain. Other decomposers are detritivores—
detritus eaters or debris eaters.

26. Figure 2. Trophic Structure of Ecosystem

27. Gradients and Ecotones
• Environmental gradient is a gradual change in abiotic factors through
space (or time) while ecotone is an area that acts as a boundary or a
transition between two ecosystems.
• Gradients include factors such as altitude, temperature, depth, ocean
proximity and soil humidity.
• Species abundances usually change along environmental gradients in
a more or less predictive way.
• Ecotone can be found in transition between two ecosystems or
biomes.
• It is natural that it contains a large variety of species of fauna and
flora as the area is influenced by both the bordering ecosystems.
• Edge effects refer to the changes in population or community
structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats. Generally, there
is a greater number of species found in these regions (ecotones)
• Species found in an ecotones are called edge species.

28. Gradients and Ecotones
Grassland (between desert and forest) Estuaries (between fresh and saltwater)
Marshland (between wet and dry
Ecosystem)
Mangrove forest (between terrestrial and
marine ecosystem)

29. Gradients and Ecotones
Characteristics of Ecotones :
• It may be wide or narrow.
• It is a zone of tension (as it has conditions intermediate to the
bordering ecosystems).
• It could contain species that are entirely different from those
found in the bordering systems.
• Ecotones can be natural or man-made.
Example :
Ecotone between an agricultural field and a forest is a man-made
one.

30. Gradients and Ecotones
Importance of Ecotones :
• They have a greater variety of organisms.
• They also offer a good nesting place for animals coming in
search of a nesting place or food.
• They serve as a bridge of gene flow from one population to
another because of the larger genetic diversity present.
• They can act as buffer zones offering protection to the
bordering ecosystems from possible damage.
Example : Wetland can absorb pollutants and prevent them
from seeping into the river.
• Ecotones are also a sensitive indicator of global climate change.

31. Ecosystems and Diversity
Importance of Ecotones :
• They have a greater variety of organisms.
• They also offer a good nesting place for animals coming in
search of a nesting place or food.
• They serve as a bridge of gene flow from one population to
another because of the larger genetic diversity present.
• They can act as buffer zones offering protection to the
bordering ecosystems from possible damage.
Example : Wetland can absorb pollutants and prevent them
from seeping into the river.
• Ecotones are also a sensitive indicator of global climate change.

32. Ecosystems and Diversity
Genetic Diversity
• Variability in the genetic
material of the individuals in a
certain population or
community.
• Genetic biodiversity
influences how well a species
can adapt to environmental
pressures.
• If the population has high
genetic biodiversity, some of
the individuals are likely to
have adaptations that allow
them to survive the impact.
• if genetic diversity is low the
entire population will be
adapted to a narrow range of
ecological conditions; a more
specialized ecological niche.
Species Diversity
• Number of species living in an
area.
• Individuals that belong to the
same species are able to mate
and produce offspring that are
fertile.
• Increased species biodiversity is
also known as species richness.
• An ecosystem that has greater
species biodiversity contains
more ecological niches.
Ecosystem Diversity
• Number of ecosystems in a
certain area.
• Diverse ecosystem provides
many services as it provides
foods, habitat, and also offered
vast number of medicinal
plants.
• Ecosystems that are more
diverse are better to withstand
environmental perturbations.
• When a more ecologically
complex ecosystem is
impacted by human activities
and environmental pressures,
there are likely to be organisms
and interactions among
organisms that can continue to
exist despite the impact.

33. Ecosystems and Diversity
When there is human intervention ecosystem is either restored and conserved or can be
destroyed.

34. Classification of Ecosystem
• Ecosystems can generally be classified into two classes such as
natural and artificial.
• Artificial ecosystems are natural regions affected by man’s
interferences.
Example :
artificial lakes, reservoirs, townships, and cities.
• Natural ecosystems are basically classified into two major
types.
Example :
aquatic ecosystem ( Mangrove Forest) and terrestrial ecosystem
(Grasslands).

35. Classification of Ecosystems
Figure 2. Classification of natural ecosystem.

36. Aquatic Ecosystem
• An ecosystem that is located in a body
of water is known as an aquatic
ecosystem.
• The nature and characteristics of the
communities of living or biotic
organisms and non-living or abiotic
factors which interact with and
interrelate to one another are
determined by the aquatic
surroundings of their environment they
are dependent upon.
• Aquatic ecosystem can be broadly
classified into Marine Ecosystem and
Freshwater Ecosystem.
• Aquatic Ecosystem is has diverse
biodiversity.

37. Marine Ecosystem
a. Tubataha Reef, Palawan ,
Philippines.
b.Mangrove Forest ,Palawan ,
Philippines.
• The biggest of all ecosystems as all oceans
and their parts are included in them.
• It contain salt marshes, intertidal zones,
estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs,
the deep sea, and the sea floor.
• It has a unique flora and fauna, and
supports a vast kingdom of species.
• It is essential for the overall health of both
marine and terrestrial environments.
• Salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and
mangrove forests are among the most
productive ecosystem.
• Coral reef provides food and shelter to the
highest number of marine inhabitants in
the world.
• Marine ecosystem has a large biodiversity.

38. Fresh Water Ecosystem
• Freshwater ecosystem includes lakes, rivers,
streams, and ponds.
• Lakes are large bodies of freshwater
surrounded by land.
• Plants and algae are important to
freshwater ecosystem because they provide
oxygen through photosynthesis and food
for animals in this ecosystem.
• Estuaries house plant life with the unique
adaptation of being able to survive in fresh
and salty environments.
• Mangroves and pickle weed are examples
of estuarine plants.
• Many animals live in freshwater ecosystem.
Freshwater ecosystem is very important for
people as they provide them water for
drinking, energy and transportation,
recreation, etc.
a. Estrella Falls Narra, Palawan ,
Philippines.
b.Iwahig River Puerto Princesa ,Palawan ,
Philippines.

39. Terrestrial Ecosystem
• Terrestrial ecosystems are those
ecosystems that exist on land.
• Water may be present in a
terrestrial ecosystem but these
ecosystems are primarily situated
on land.
• It includes forest ecosystem,
desert ecosystem, grassland and
mountain ecosystems.
• Terrestrial ecosystems are
distinguished from aquatic
ecosystems by the lower
availability of water and the
consequent importance of water
as a limiting factor.

40. Terrestrial Ecosystem
• It is characterized by greater
temperature fluctuations on both
diurnal and seasonal basis, than
in aquatic ecosystems in similar
climates.
• Availability of light is greater in
terrestrial ecosystems than in
aquatic ecosystems because the
atmosphere is more transparent
on land than in water.
• Differences in temperature and
light in terrestrial ecosystems
reflect a completely different
flora and fauna.

41. Terrestrial Ecosystem
a. Tundra b. Desert c. Taiga
d. Savanna d. Cloud Forest

42. Are you familiar
with
TECHNOECOSYSTEM?

43. Technoecosystem
• An ecosystem with advanced
technology, market economies, and
a large ecological footprint.
• A domesticated ecosystems which
includes cities, agro ecosystems and
agro forest systems and so forth.
• Technoecosystems exist in both
urban and rural environment .
• Rural technoecosystems includes
small towns, industries and
transportation corridors.
• These ecosystem does not made by
nature but a result of
anthropogenic activities done by
humans.

44. Technoecosystem
• These ecosystems have powerful
energy sources display progress in
technology.
• Present technoecosystems are
more competitive and parasitic to
the natural systems.
• In able to have Progressive
development , this has to change to
a mutualistic positive relation.

45. What makes technoecosystem differ from
natural ecosystem?
1.Inputs of energy include fossil fuels , alternative sources
of energy, natural resources etc. to the radiant energy of
the sun.
2. The output of natural ecosystem is the nutrients which
entered the ecosystem. The technoecosystems results
emission of toxic compounds which pollute the air and
water resources.
3.Natural ecosystems strive to maintain sustainability
4.Energy flow is higher in technoecosystem.
5.Technoecosystems heavily depend on the flow of money
for ecosystem services.
6.Energy requirements are higher for technoecosystems.

46. Types of Technoecosystem
1.Urban-industrial Technoecosystems.
• Sallent feature of this anthropogenic ecosystem is the presence of a large city
with many human dwellings , factories and roads and associated infrastructure.
• The biome has a number of other species in addition to humans.
• These are non native which are introduced and maintained by humans .
• Native species are almost a rarity and the existing species can hardly sustain
outside this biome.
2.Rural Technoecosystems
• Consists of the transportation corridors, industries and small towns in the
vicinity of urban technoecosystem.
• It includes highways, powerplants, industries such as mining etc.
• It supports a few native species which survives the stress and have higher
resistance to disturbances.
• It also houses the introduced species which can survive the odds of
disturbances especially due to human activities.

47. Types of Technoecosystem
a. Manila, Philippines (Urban-
industrial Techno-cosystem).
b. Banaue, Philippines (Rural Techno-
cosystem).

48. Concept of Ecological Footprint
• The impact and resources required by the city for a sustainable
development. In the other words, it is the productive area
(farmlands, forests, etc.) outside the city which is needed to
support the city life and species in the technoecosystem.
This depends on two aspects :
a) Demands of the technoecosystem.
b)Productivity of the surrounding environment.
• This footprint can be applied for individual variables of the
ecosystem such as food, water etc.
• This help in the formulation od more efficient resource utilization
strategies. It can be applied as per capital measurement also.

49. Concept of Ecological Footprint
• Advancement of the technology result pollution.
• Counter technology is needed to reduce the harmful effects of any
such technological improvement.
(For example, alternative agriculture and clean coal technology
reduce the detrimental effects to some extent.)
• Biodiversity approaches has been focused towards input or
resource management rather than processing the outputs in the
recent past .
• Technology has its roots from anthropogenic ecosystems such as
techno ecosystems that are results of technological developments
that is needed to be balanced along with the biodiversity.

50. LET’S DO THIS!
Diagram a simplified ecosystem
and discuss it on the class.

51. -END OF DISCUSSION-