What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem, as defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit. This concept incorporates any scale of interest based on boundaries and criteria defined by interested party.
An ecosystem may be as small as a rotten log, or as large as the planet, but we define an ecosystem as an area with uniform soil, vegetation and organisms. Ecosystems are collections of living organisms and their physical environment (soil particles, air, water). Some of the relation-ships are understood. Plants harness energy from the sun and provide food and shelter for animals. In turn, many plants need the help of animals to reproduce. Animals eat seeds and spread them, undigested, to other places. They also spread seeds by picking them up on their feathers and fur. However, there are many relationships that are hidden from our sight and we are only now beginning to understand. There are millions of bacteria, tiny plants and animals in the soil. We have not yet even described most of these, let alone understand their roles in creating the fertile soil on which the forests depend. All the parts work together to provide healthy, functioning ecosystems.
Within all species, individuals interact with each other – feeding together, mating together, and living together. Some species have a pecking order as well, and each individual has a role to play within it. Feeding on woodHowever, it is not only individuals within a species that interact. Different species of animals interact with each other all the time. For instance, animals eat other animals through their interactions in a food web. But plants are included in this web as well as they, too, are eaten by animals. “Cold” Rocky MountainsWhat would happen if the weather were really cold all the time? Well, not all species of animals, plants and bacteria would be able to survive. What differences are there between species who live in the Rocky Mountains and those who inhabit the Sahara desert? Landscape also determines where plants and animals might live. But what, exactly, is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is a geographical area of a variable size where plants, animals, the landscape and th
Most of us are confused when it comes to the words ecosystem and biome. What’s the difference? There is a slight difference between the two words. An ecosystem is much smaller than a biome. Conversely, a biome can be thought of many similar ecosystems throughout the world grouped together. An ecosystem can be as large as the Sahara Desert, or as small as a puddle or vernal pool. Ecosystems are dynamic interactions between plants, animals, and microorganisms and their environment working together as a functional unit. Ecosystems will fail if they do not remain in balance. No community can carry more organisms than its food, water, and shelter can accomodate. Food and territory are often balanced by natural phenomena such as fire, disease, and the number of predators. Each organism has its own niche, or role, to play.
Ecosystem is a portmanteau word – that is, a word made by jamming two other words together. It originated as a shorthand way of referring to an ecological system, and is now the preferred term. An ecosystem is simply an easy way to refer to all the lifeforms (plant and animal) in a cohesive, relatively independent area, and their relationship to one another. In a perfect world, an ecosystem is in balance. That is, the predator species keep the prey species’ population in check without completely destroying them, and plantlife remains varied without one type predominating and crowding out the rest. Ecosystems are rarely in balance, and this is often cause for alarm. For instance, pollution runoff from a factory can effect marine life in a lake, causing the fish population to plummet. This destabilizes the entire surrounding ecosystem, and birds and animals that prey on the fish either die off or migrate to areas with more food. Attempting to counteract damage to an ecosystem requires a
