Question

The structural and functional unit of the environment is known as

Answer 1

Hint: The name of the structural and functional unit of the environment was given by A.G Tansley.

Complete answer:
The structural and functional unit of the environment is the ecosystem. The ecosystem consists of biotic and abiotic factors and shows interactions among themselves.

Additional Information:
- There are two types of ecosystems based on the habitat, terrestrial ecosystem, and aquatic ecosystem.
- The ecosystem can be of two types based on development, natural ecosystem, anthropogenic, or artificial or man-made ecosystem.
- The ecosystem on the basis of size is of four types:
Mega Ecosystem: It is a large-sized ecosystem. An example includes the sea.
Meso Ecosystem or Macro Ecosystem: It is a medium-sized ecosystem. The example includes desert, grasslands, etc.
Microecosystem: These are a small-sized ecosystem. An example includes lakes, ponds, etc.
Nano Ecosystem: These are an extremely small-sized ecosystem. An example includes an aquarium, home garden, etc.
- The biotic components of the ecosystem include producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Producers: It consists of autotrophic organisms that can synthesize their food. Examples include plants, sulphur bacteria, etc.
Consumers: It consists of heterotrophic organisms that feed on other organisms. The example includes herbivore, carnivores, and omnivorous animals.
Decomposers: It consists of microscopic organisms like bacteria and fungus that help in the decomposition of dead organic matter.

Note: Decomposers are also known as reducers and producers are also known as transducers. It should be remembered that the ecosystem is an open system. It receives energy from the sun which is the primary source of energy in the form of light energy and receives nutrients from the external surrounding environment, these are distributed throughout the components of the ecosystem. It should be noted that energy flow in the ecosystem is unidirectional.