All living organisms on Earth live in isolation from each other and forming a community.They are all connected to each other, as living organisms and inanimate nature factors.Such an education in nature is called an ecosystem that lives by its own laws and has certain specific features and qualities with which we will try to meet.
concept of ecosystem
thoroughly examine any ecosystem is difficult, since it includes a huge number of living organisms, as well as abiotic factors.
There is a science, ecology, which studies the relationship of nature and inanimate.But these relationships can be carried out only within a particular ecosystem and not occur spontaneously and randomly, and some laws.
ecosystem types are different, but they represent a set of living organisms that interact with each other and with the environment through the exchange of matter, energy and information.For this reason, the ecosystem is stable and stable over a long period of time.
ecosystem classification
Despite the great diversity of ecosystems, all of them are open, without that their existence would be impossible.Types of different ecosystems, and classification may be different.If you bear in mind the origin, the ecosystem are:
- Natural or natural.They all interaction occurs without direct human intervention.These in turn are divided into:
- Ecosystems are fully dependent on solar energy.
- systems which derive energy from both the sun and from other sources.
2. Artificial ecosystem.Created by human hands, and there can be only with his participation.They are also divided into:
- Agro-ecosystems, that is, those that are related to human activities.
- Tehnoekosistemy appear in connection with the industrial activity of people.
- Urban ecosystems.
Another classification distinguishes the following types of natural ecosystems:
1. Surface:
- Rainforests.
- Desert with grass and shrub vegetation.
- Savannah.
- Barrens.
- deciduous forest.
- Tundra.
2. Freshwater ecosystems:
- standing water (lake, pond).
- flowing water (rivers, streams).
- Marshes.
3. Marine ecosystems:
- Ocean.
- Continental Shelf.
- areas to fishing.
- estuaries, bays.
- Deep rift zone.
Regardless of classification can see the diversity of the ecosystem, which is characterized by its own set of life forms and strength.The features
ecosystem
ecosystem concept can be attributed to both natural formations, and to artificially created by man.If we talk about the natural, that they are characterized by the following features:
- In any ecosystem, the mandatory elements - are living organisms and abiotic environmental factors.
- In any ecosystem there is a closed cycle from the production of organic substances before their decomposition into inorganic components.
- interacting species in ecosystems provides stability and self-regulation.
All the world is represented by a variety of ecosystems, which are based on living matter with a definite structure.
Biotic ecosystem structure
Even if ecosystems differ in species diversity, abundance of living organisms, their life forms, but biotic structure in any one of them is still the same.
All types of ecosystems include the same components without the presence of the operation of the system is simply impossible.
- Producers.
- consuments first order.
- consuments second order.
- Decomposers.
The first group of organisms include all plants are capable of photosynthesis.They produce organic substances.To this group belong chemotroph and that form organic compounds.But this does not use solar energy, and the energy of chemical compounds.
consuments It includes all organisms, which for the construction of their bodies with organic matter must be outside.This includes all herbivorous organisms, predators and omnivores.
Reducents, which include bacteria, fungi, transformed plants and animal residues in inorganic compounds suitable for use living organisms.
ecosystem functioning
biggest biological system - is the biosphere, it is, in turn consists of individual components.You can create a chain: view population - ecosystem.The smallest unit, part of the ecosystem - a kind.Each biogeocoenose their number can vary from tens to hundreds of thousands.
Regardless of the number of individuals and species in any ecosystem there is a constant exchange of matter, energy, not only among themselves but also with the environment.
If we talk about the exchange of energy, it is quite possible to apply the laws of physics.The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can not disappear without a trace.She just turns from one species to another.According to the second law, the energy in a closed system can only increase.
If the laws of physics apply to ecosystems, it can be concluded that they maintain their livelihoods due to the presence of solar energy that the body can not only capture but also to transform, use, and then give the environment.
energy transferred from one trophic level to another during the transfer converts one form of energy into another.Part of it, of course, is lost as heat.
Whatever existed kinds of natural ecosystems, but these laws are absolutely in each.
ecosystem structure
If you consider any ecosystem, then it certainly can be seen that the various categories, such as producers, consumers and decomposers, has always presented a whole set of species.Nature provides, if something happens to one of the species, this ecosystem is not lost, it always can be successfully replaced by another.This explains the stability of natural ecosystems.
A wide variety of species in the ecosystem, diversity of supply chains provide stability of all processes that take place within the community.
In addition, any system has its own laws that govern all living organisms.Based on this, there are several structures within biogeocoenose:
- Specific structure.It shows the ratio of plant and animal species.In each system, the figure is different, it depends on many factors: geographical location, climate, age of the ecosystem.The kind of outnumbered all others, called sredoobrazovatelem.But representatives of the numerically small in some cases, an indicator of the welfare system.
- Trophic structure.Species diversity, branched food chain in the ecosystem is an indicator of sustainability.In any biogeocoenose organisms linked primarily food connections.You can always make the food chain.They usually start with a plant body, and end the predator.For example, a grasshopper eats grass it eats titmouse, and caught her kite.
- spatial structure.The question is how such a large number of different species coexist on the same territory.All this thanks to a certain structure, which is adhering to settled species.In the forest, take the very first tier of light-loving trees.Here make their nests, some species of birds.The next level - below the trees, and once residence for some species.
Any structure necessarily present in any ecosystem, but it can vary significantly.For example, if you compare biogeocoenosis deserts and tropical forests, the difference is visible to the naked eye.
artificial ecosystem
Such systems are created by human hands.Despite the fact that in them, as in nature, necessarily present all components of the biotic structure, yet there are significant differences.Among them are the following:
- agrocenoses differ poor species composition.They grow only those plants that grow people.But nature takes its, always, for example, in a field of wheat can be seen cornflowers, daisies, various arthropods settle.Some systems even have time to twist the birds nest on the ground and bring the chicks.
- If a person does not take care of the ecosystem, the crop plants can not compete with their wild relatives.
- agrocenoses still exist due to the additional energy that brings people, for example, making fertilizer.
- Since the biomass of plants seized has grown along with the harvest, the soil is depleted of nutrients.Therefore, the continued existence of human intervention is necessary once again, who will have to apply fertilizer to grow the next crop.
can be concluded that artificial ecosystems do not belong to the stable and self-regulating system.If a person ceases to care for them, they will not survive.Gradually displace wild species of crop plants and agrocenosis be destroyed.
example, artificial ecosystems of the three species of organisms can be easily created at home.If you put a fish tank, pour water in it, put a few sprigs of Elodea and settled two fish, here's an artificial system is ready.Even such a simple can not exist without human intervention.
ecosystems in nature
Speaking globally, all living organisms spread across ecosystems, so their importance is difficult to underestimate.
- All ecosystems are interconnected circulation of substances that can migrate from one system to another.
- Due to the ecosystems in nature preserve biodiversity.
- all the resources that we draw from nature, give us exactly ecosystems: clean water, air, fertile soil.
Any ecosystem is very easy to destroy, especially considering the possibility of a person.
Ecosystems and people
Since the introduction of its human impact on the environment has increased every year.Developing a man imagines himself the king of nature, he has become not hesitate to destroy the plants and animals, destroying natural ecosystems, thus became to cut the branch on which he sits.
intervening in ancient ecosystems and violating the laws of the existence of organisms that people brought to the fact that environmentalists have all the world shout in one voice, that this was the world's environmental crisis.Most scientists believe that natural disasters, which recently began to happen more and more often, the answer to the mindless nature of human intervention in its laws.It's time to stop and think that any kind of ecosystem formed over centuries, long before the appearance of man, and there were fine without it.But humanity can live without nature?The answer suggests itself.
