The atmosphere is the gaseous realm. It consists of a mixture of gases that completely surround the earth. Of much greater significance to metabolism, however, are the gaseous cycles of the atmosphere. The air consists mainly of oxygen (about 20 per cent), carbon dioxide (about 0.03 per cent), nitrogen (about 79 per cent), water vapour, and minute traces of inert [...]
The atmospheric carbon dioxide is virtually the only source of carbon which is the basic constituent of all the organic compounds. This gas is used by all plants in photosynthesis and the end products (organic substances) of this complex process are used in two ways. One fraction is used in the construction of more living matter. The carbon and oxygen [...]
According to Odum, the structure of an ecosystem needs to be considered from various angles in order to understand the relationship between the structure and function in an ecosystem. 1. Trophic Structure: The producer-consumer arrangement is one kind of structure called trophic structure (trophic = food), and each food level is known as the trophic level. The amount of living [...]