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Question

AG Tansley put forward the concept of ______ in 1935.

The correct answer is

ecosystem

Understanding AG Tansley's Concept of the Ecosystem

The question asks about a significant concept introduced by AG Tansley in the year 1935. This is a fundamental concept in the field of ecology.

Who was AG Tansley?

Arthur George Tansley (AG Tansley) was a pioneering English botanist and a founder of British ecology. He made significant contributions to plant ecology and introduced key terminology to the field.

The Concept Introduced in 1935

In 1935, AG Tansley published a paper titled "The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts and Terms". In this paper, he introduced a new term to describe the basic unit of nature.

He proposed the term "ecosystem" to encompass the complex interactions between a community of organisms (biotic components) and their physical environment (abiotic components), functioning together as a unit.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the given options in the context of AG Tansley's work and the year 1935:

  • ecosystem: This term was indeed coined and defined by AG Tansley in 1935. It represents a core concept in ecology.
  • motion: This is a concept from physics, related to change in position over time. It is not associated with AG Tansley's work in ecology.
  • zero: This term represents the absence of quantity or value. It is a mathematical concept and unrelated to AG Tansley's ecological contributions.
  • respiration: This is a biological process where organisms convert glucose into energy. While crucial for life within ecosystems, the concept of respiration itself was not introduced by AG Tansley in 1935 as a fundamental unit of nature.

Based on historical ecological literature, the concept introduced by AG Tansley in 1935 is the ecosystem.

Key Terms and Concepts
Term Associated Field AG Tansley (1935)
Ecosystem Ecology Introduced the concept and term in 1935
Motion Physics Not related
Zero Mathematics Not related
Respiration Biology Not the core concept introduced by him in 1935

Therefore, the concept put forward by AG Tansley in 1935 was the ecosystem.

Revision Table: Key Ecological Concepts

Concept Definition Key Figure(s) / Year
Ecology Study of interactions between organisms and their environment Ernst Haeckel (coined term, 1866)
Ecosystem Community of organisms interacting with their physical environment as a unit AG Tansley (coined term, 1935)
Biosphere Sum of all ecosystems; parts of Earth supporting life Eduard Suess (concept, 1878), Vladimir Vernadsky (popularized, 1920s)
Community Interacting group of various species in a common location Various ecologists
Population Group of individuals of the same species living in the same area Various ecologists

Additional Information: The Significance of the Ecosystem Concept

AG Tansley's introduction of the term "ecosystem" was a crucial moment in the development of modern ecology. Prior to this, ecological studies often focused solely on biological communities (biotic factors) or the environment (abiotic factors) separately. Tansley emphasized the interconnectedness and interaction between living organisms and their non-living surroundings as a single, functioning system. This holistic view helped ecologists to study nature in a more integrated way, considering energy flow, nutrient cycling, and the dynamic balance within natural units. The ecosystem concept remains central to ecological research and environmental science today.

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