Ecology Basics – JSS1 Intermediate Science Lesson Note (Second Term)

WHAT IS ECOLOGY?

Have you ever noticed how a lizard hides under a cool rock when the sun is too hot? Or how a goat looks for green grass to eat? In nature, nothing lives completely alone. Everything depends on something else.

Meaning of Ecology

Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and with the non-living things in their environment. It is like studying the “home” of all living things.

What is an Ecosystem?

An Ecosystem is a community where living things (like plants and animals) and non-living things (like air, water, and soil) work together.

An ecosystem can be as large as a Rainforest or as small as a Puddle of water behind your house.

THE COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

To make an ecosystem work, it needs two main parts:

1. Biotic Components (The Living Part)

These are all the living things in the environment.

• Examples: Birds, insects, trees, bacteria, and humans.

1. Abiotic Components (The Non-Living Part)

These are the things that aren’t alive but are needed for survival. Without these, the living things would die.

• Sunlight: Provides energy and heat.
• Water: Every living thing needs to drink or soak up water.
• Soil: Where plants grow and some animals live.
• Air: Provides Oxygen for animals and Carbon Dioxide for plants.

THE ROLES IN NATURE’S FAMILY

In an ecosystem, every living thing has a “job” or a role to play. We group them into three categories:

1. Producers (The Providers)

Producers are green plants. They are the only ones who can “produce” or make their own food using sunlight. They provide the energy that everyone else eats.

• Example: Grass, Mango trees, Maize.

2. Consumers (The Eaters)

Consumers cannot make their own food. They must “consume” (eat) plants or other animals.

• Primary Consumers: Animals that eat plants (like a Grasshopper).
• Secondary Consumers: Animals that eat the plant-eaters (like a Toad that eats the grasshopper).
• Tertiary Consumers: Big hunters that eat other animals (like a Hawk that eats the toad).

THE DECOMPOSERS AND SUMMARY

3. Decomposers (The Clean-up Crew)

Imagine if every tree that fell and every animal that died just stayed there forever. The world would be a mess! Decomposers are tiny organisms that break down dead plants and animals.

• Examples: Fungi (mushrooms) and Bacteria.
• Their Job: They turn dead things back into nutrients (food) for the soil. This helps new plants grow.

Summary Table

Class Activity

Let’s see if you can trace the energy!

1. If the Sun disappears, what happens to the Producers?
2. If the Producers die, what happens to the Consumers?
3. Why are mushrooms important in a garden?

Homework

Go outside to a small garden or a bushy area near your home.

• List two Abiotic (non-living) things you see.
• List two Biotic (living) things you see.
• Which one of the living things is a Producer?