Page 179 - Innovator's Science-8

• Examples of ecosystems include: Terrestrial ecosystems like forests, deserts, and grasslands and Aquatic
ecosystems like ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans.
• Organisms in an ecosystem can be grouped based on how they get their food: Producers - Plants that make
their own food using sunlight, Consumers Animals that eat plants or other animals and i Decomposers-
Microorganisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals, recycling nutrients back
into the soil.
• A food chain shows the sequence of "who eats whom" in an ecosystem.
• A food web is a network of interconnected food chains, showing how energy flows through many
organisms.
• The position of organisms in a food chain is called a trophic level.
• Organisms also live in special types of relationships: Mutualism in which both organisms benefit,
Commensalism in which one benefits, the other is unaffected and Parasitism- One benefits, the other is
harmed.
• We must take action to conserve ecosystems. Creating and maintaining protected areas like: National
parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and Biosphere reserves.

NCERT Textbook Questions (Solved)

Let Us Enhance Our Learning
1. Refer to the given diagram (Fig.) and select the wrong statement.

i. A community is larger than a popula on.

ii. A community is smaller than an ecosystem.
iii. An ecosystem is part of a community.
Ans. iii. An ecosystem is part of a community.
2. A popula on is part of a community. If all decomposers suddenly disappeared from a forest
ecosystem, what changes do you think would occur? Explain why decomposers are essen al.
Ans. If decomposers like fungi and bacteria were not present, dead plants and animals would pile up without
breaking down. The nutrients locked inside them would not return to the soil, so plants would have less
to grow with. As plant growth slowed, herbivores would have less food, and in turn, carnivores that eat
herbivores would also struggle to survive. Decomposers are essen al because they break down dead
ma er into simple substances, such as nitrogen and carbon, which get recycled back into the soil. This
keeps the nutrient cycle going and supports the en re food web.

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