Laboratory Report

Exercise No. 1

Introducing The Ecosystem Concept and It’s Components

Submitted To:

Forester Lowell G. Aribal,PhD

Submitted By:

Hemar, Mary Ann E.

BSF 2A
 I. Abstract

The ecosystem in construct with two components, the biotic and abiotic. Biotic mean living
organism and the abiotic mean non-living organism. The existence of both components will entrust
to each other for that the both will interact to each other. The researcher succeed the study at
Central Mindanao University specifically at the tree base area were near at the university hospital,
both the grassland and pond area were carried on the Fulbright area. The aim of the study is to give
an opportunity to the forestry student for have them to be head on the observation of the component
of ecosystem. To acknowledge the components base on how it sustained, the researcher used
qualitative to categorized the biotic and abiotic components, on the flip side the abiotic component
observe deeply further humidity, wind speed and water. In addition, the finding will gathered the
types of organism that found in the ecosystem and do the generalities of the interaction between
the living and non-living. By doing the study the tool and techniques were made differently for
more observations. The tree base community, grassland community and pond contained a different
species including the biotic and abiotic. This components will help to identify the organism
whether it is more on photosynthetic or mix organism species.
 II. Introduction

The ecosystem research about the organism that has an interaction between the human and physical
environment is called ecology, it also include the habitat of the organism of the ecosystem.

Ecosystem connects the living and non-living within the environment. It includes living organisms,
the dead organic matter they produce, the abiotic environment in which the organisms live and
exchange materials (soils, water, atmosphere), as well as interactions between these elements. The
diverse sizes and can be marine, aquatic, or terrestrial. Ecosystems typically contain primary
producers, which are able to capture solar energy through photosynthesis and use it to transform
carbon dioxide and other inorganic molecules into the organic compounds that make up life.
Consumers eat this energy that has been gathered, and decomposers eat it as well as break down
organic matter into its inorganic components so that producers can reuse them (ecotope.org 2008).

According to BYJU, (2021) It can also be defined as the chain of communication, in the ecosystem
there are two main component; the abiotic and biotic, in which the abiotic mentioned about the
non-living organism and the biotic means all about the living organism. The ecosystem play the
big role to our surrounding, it help to maintain the regular flow of the energy such as the carbon
cycle, energy cycle, nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle and the water cycle. it also support the survival
of wild plants and animals by providing habitat, controlling crucial ecological processes, and
promoting life.

Moreover, in the ecosystem the living and non-living organism play it’s own role whether it group,
population and biodiversity furthermore, all of the organism in the ecosystem affects to all living
and non-living to the surrounding’s.

✓ Objective:

1. To allow the students directly observe the components of the ecosystem in the field;

2. To identify and classify living components of the ecosystem based on their mode of
nourishment;

3. To quantitatively characterize the non-living components of the ecosystem particularly in terms

of the more obvious parameters, such as light, ambient air temperature, wind speed, and water
content of air and substrate.

4. To give the class an opportunity to integrate observations from different forms of the ecosystem
and make a generalization on the ecosystem and its components.

III. Methodology

The materials that has been used in the activity are notebook, pen and phone for capturing the
living organism that can be found in tree based community, grassland community and community
in garden. The study was conducted in Central Mindanao University specifically in forest area and
Fulbright area.

Procedures

The class will be divided into four groups. Each group will be assigned to: (1) the grass
community near the Fulbright building, (2) the tree-dominated community in front of the
university hospital, (3) the garden at the side of the CFES administration building, and (4) the
pond at the Fulbright building.

Take an arbitrary 10 m x 10 m quadrat or enclose. The group assigned to observe the pond
takes the area of the point as it is. Make a list of all the multicellular living components you
can see. Students are not expected to enumerate microscopic unicellular living components
(e.g. bacteria, fungi, etc.). Students however should listen attentively from the narrative of the
 faculty-in-charge about the identity of each multicellular organisms and their respective
function in the ecosystem.

Enumerate all the visible biotic components. Sort them according to their role in the
ecosystem. List all photosynthetic organisms under the PRODUCER group (Column 1 of
Table 1). Under the CONSUMER group, the organisms are listed as Primary if they are
organisms that eat plants (herbivores) (Column2), Secondary if organisms eat herbivores
(Column 3) and Tertiary if the organisms are large (arbitrarily the size of a cat or larger) and
prey upon herbivores and small carnivores (Column 4). Finally, DECOMPOSERS group is
divided into two, the microdecomposers (Column 5) and macrodecomposers (Column 6). For
the former, only the multicellular fungi can be seen, the others such as actinomycetes and
bacteria are not visible to the unaided eye. The latter includes mostly invertebrates, namely
earthworms, termites, beetles, millipedes, etc.

Next is for each group to qualitatively observe the physical environment. For the terrestrial
ecosystem, you look at the light and feel the ambient air temperature and the wind speed. As
guide, try to answer the following questions. Which layers of the plant community gets full
sunlight? On the forest floor, do you see direct light that are able to pass through the canopy
as sunflecks? Compare the light, ambient air temperature and wind speed inside and outside
the plant community by scoring H if high, M if medium, and L if low, VL if very low, and
blank if not applicable. For the aquatic ecosystem, the questions to be asked are the following:
Does light able to penetrate through the water into the bottom? Which green plants are exposed
to sunlight: is the water quality clear and oxygenated? Is the water running or impounded?
Next, each group shares experiences by presenting their respective results on the blackboard.
Then, the faculty will ask questions to enable the students to integrate the experiences of the
four groups.

IV. Result/Discussion

Table 1. The following are the data that has been accomplished from the different areas.

A. TREE BASED COMMUNITY

Name of Organisms BIOTIC COMPONENTS

PRODUCER CONSUMER DECOMPOSER
Primary Secondary Tertiary Micro Macro
Millipedes ✓
Macarthur palm ✓
(Ptychospermamac
arthurii)
Marang (Artocarpus ✓
ordorastissimus)
Grasshopper ✓
Earthworm ✓
Higad (Euprotis ✓
chrysorrhea)
Mosquito ✓
Spider ✓
Halamantik ✓

B. GRASSLAND COMMUNITY
C. Name of BIOTIC COMPONENTS
Organisms PRODUCER CONSUMER DECOMPOSER
Primary Secondary Tertiary Micro Macro
Tabili ✓
Dragon Fly ✓
Bagopbok
Memosa Envesa ✓
Cogon ✓
Armorsiko ✓
Makahiya ✓
Star Grass ✓
Grasshopper ✓
Ants ✓
Frog ✓
Water lutos ✓
Bugs ✓
Tawa-tawa ✓
Hagonoy ✓
Agi-ngay ✓

C. POND

Name of Organisms BIOTIC COMPONENTS

PRODUCER CONSUMER DECOMPOSER
Primary Secondary Tertiary Micro Macro
Water Lotus ✓
Water Lilies ✓
Water Strider ✓
Dragon Fly ✓
Frog ✓
Mud Fish ✓
Water Bug ✓
Carp ✓
Cat Fish ✓
Tilapia ✓
Golden Apple Snail ✓
Sedge ✓

Table 2. The following are the observation of non-living organism of the ecosystem, it also indicate
the its qualitative such as high, medium, low, very low.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
ECOSYSTEM
Light Temperature Wind Speed Water
Tree-Based Low Low Low N/A
Grassland High High Low Low
Pond High High High Low

An ecosystem is an area where a bubble of life is created by trees, animals, and some other
inhabitants interacting with the weather, environment, and other factors. Abiotic variables, or
nonliving components, coexist with biotic components in ecosystems. Moreover, trees, wildlife,
and other species are biotic factors. Along with rocks, temperature and humidity are abiotic
variables (National Geographic Society, n.d).

The Central Mindanao University ecosystem found out that in tree based base community has
refrigerating atmosphere both of the light, temperature and wind speed however the area has been
found a primary, composer, and decomposer. Meanwhile in the grass land area most can be found
a producer on the other hand, the humidity is both high and low. Likewise the pond both of the
humidity is high and low however, in biotic component the consumer most found is secondary.
 V. Conclusion

The researcher conclude that the in different area there were also different kind of organism
however, some of it can be seen in both community. By doing the activity, the research takes time
to observe the organism of biotic and abiotic. Moreover, in this laboratory report the researcher
must get the precise humidity of the three different areas.

VI. Reference/ Literature cited

(2008) Ecosystem Encyclopedia of Earth Ellis_eoe_ecosystem. Retrieved August 22, 2022,from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/intro-to-ecosystems/a/what-is-an-

ecosystem

A. (2021, March 22). General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) Guidelines BYJU’S. BYJUS.

Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://byjus.com/biology/importance-of-ecosystem/

Ecosystem | National Geographic Society. (n.d.). National Geographic. Retrieved August 25,

2022, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ecosystem/