Question

Term ecosystem was given by
(a) Odum
(b) Koestler
(c) Tansley
(d) Mobius and Forbes

Answer 1

Hint: An ecosystem comprises both abiotic and biotic components. It is basically a sphere of communities of different organisms such as plants, animals, and microbes that live together in a specific environment.

Complete Step by Step Answer:
An ecosystem is defined as the functional unit in nature in which living beings interact among themselves and with the physical environment that they live in. An ecosystem does not have a fixed shape and size but instead varies across a great range. It can be as small as a pond and as big as a forest or sea.
The entire Earth is considered a big ecosystem that comprises all the local ecosystems present on Earth. The term ecosystem was given by Sir Arthur G. Tansley in 1935.

Additional information:
Every ecosystem is made up of components that are essential for an ecosystem to keep functioning. They are as follows:
Productivity: The rate at which biomass is produced by the living organisms in an ecosystem is called productivity. It is further classified as primary and secondary productivity.
Decomposition: The breakdown of complex organic compounds into simple inorganic compounds by microbes is known as decomposition.
Energy flow: There is a unidirectional flow of energy from the sun to the different trophic levels of an ecosystem.
Nutrient cycling: Nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc are very important for the growth of living organisms. And nutrients are never lost from an ecosystem but rather they are recycled time and again indefinitely.
So, the correct option is ‘(c) Tansley’.

Note:
- Ecosystems are divided into two basic categories known as terrestrial and aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems include forest, grassland, and desert. Aquatic ecosystems include ponds, lakes, wetlands, rivers, etc.
- There are also man- made ecosystems like aquariums and crop fields.
- The organisms in an ecosystem are present at different levels vertically and this distribution is known as stratification.