Ecosystem: Definition, Importance, Examples, Human Causes

The simplest definition of an ecosystem is that it is a community or group of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a ... Whatisanecosystem?Thedefinitionofanecosystem,howitworks,howhumansaffectitandwhy–findalltheseissuesansweredbelow. SimpleEcosystemDefinition Thesimplestdefinitionofanecosystemisthatitisa communityorgroupoflivingorganismsthatliveinandinteractwitheachotherinaspecificenvironment. Forinstance,tropicalforestsareecosystemsmadeupoflivingbeingssuchastrees,plants,animals,insectsandmicro-organismsthatareinconstantinteractionbetweenthemselvesandthatareaffectedbyotherphysical(sun,temperature)orchemical(oxygenornutrients)components. Related:HowDoesPlantingTreesHelpFightClimateChange? EcosystemScientificDefinition Anecosystemisthebasicunitofthefieldofthescientificstudyofnature.Accordingtothisdiscipline,anecosystemisaphysicallydefinedenvironment,madeupoftwoinseparablecomponents: Thebiotope(abiotic): aparticularphysicalenvironmentwithspecificphysicalcharacteristicssuchastheclimate,temperature,humidity,concentrationofnutrientsorpH. Thebiocenosis(biotic):a setoflivingorganismssuchasanimals,plantsormicro-organisms,thatareinconstantinteractionandare,therefore,inasituationofinterdependence. Theconceptofispossibleatseveralscalesofmagnitude.Frommulticellularorganismssuchasinsectsanimalsorplantstolakes, mountainrangesorforeststotheplanetEarthasawhole. Related:5TipsOnHowToHaveASustainableBehaviorEveryday WhatIsAMarineEcosystem? Togetherwithfreshwaterecosystems,marineecosystemsarealsopartofthebroadercategoryofaquaticecosystems.Marineecosystemscovermorethan70% oftheEarth’ssurfaceandhaveahighsaltcontent.Someexamplesofmarineecosystemsareoffshoresystemsliketheoceansurface,thedeepsea,pelagicoceansortheseafloor.Buttherearealsonearshoresystemslikecoralreefs,mangrovesorseagrassmeadows. Marineecosystemscantoobecharacterizedfollowingtheabioticandbioticdimensionsmentionedabove.Inthisway,itsbioticcomponentsareorganismsandtheirspecies,predators,parasites,andcompetitors.Onthecontrary,theconcentrationofnutrients,thetemperature,sunlight,turbulence,salinityanddensityareitsabioticcomponents. Related:OceanProtection:8ThingsYouCanDoToHelpProtectTheOceans HowDoNaturalEcosystemsWork? Naturalecosystemsare“balanced”systems.Thismeanstheinteractionsbetweenthedifferentorganismsthatmakeuptheecosystemcontributetoacertainstability.Forexample,ingrasslandecosystems,herbivoresconsumegrass,butalsofeedthesoilwiththeirdroppings,whichallowsthegrasstogrowbackandallowssomesortofbalance.Still,thisdoesn’tmeananecosystem,evenahealthyone,isstatic.Inreality,ecosystemsareconstantlyevolvingastheyarebasedondynamicprocessesthatareconstantlychanging. Forinstance,biocenosisarelivingorganismsthatinteractwiththeirenvironmentandconstantlytransformit.How?Becauseanimalscompactthesoil,plantscreatehumidityorregulatethetemperatureandbacteriahelpinthemicroscopicworldbyprotectingallsortsofanimalsfromdiseasesandhelpingintheirdigestionprocess.Aswell,anecosystemalsoevolvesduetoexternalorunforeseenevents.Aclimaticornaturalphenomenon,forexample,canleadtotransformationsintheenvironment.Inthisway,biocenosistheecosystem’slivingorganismstoadapttothesenewconstraints,andchangehappens. It’salsocuriousthatalthoughanecosystemisalwayslookingforstability,theecosystemneverperfectlysucceedsatit.Thevariousnaturalimbalancestendtooffseteachotherpermanently.Someecosystemsevolveveryslowlywhileotherscantransformveryquickly.Sometimes,inextremecases,theycanevendisappear. HowDoesEnergyFlowInAnEcosystem? Accordingtothelawofenergyconservation,energycanneitherbecreatednordestroyed.Infact,itcanonlybetransformedortransferredfromoneformtoanother.Buthowdoesthisworkinanecosystem?Howdoesenergyflowhere?Let’swatchthisvideotobetterunderstandthisphenomenon. LinksBetweenEcosystemsAndHumanActivities We’vemanagedtocontrolfire,practiceagriculture,andbuildtransportationvehicles.We’vebuiltfactories,dams,solarpanelsandwe’reconstantlyfindingnewwaysofexploringspace.Still,thehumanrace’sthirsttouse,modifyandtransformnaturalecosystemsseemsendless.Forinstance,whenwetransformaplaintogrowcerealfields,we’resignificantlymodifyingthatlocalecosystem.Sometimes,weevenendupcompletelychangingitfromitsoriginalfoundations. Today,humanactivitieshavesuchanimpactonecosystemsthatwenowspeakoftheAnthropocenetimeline.ThisisaperiodthatdefinesthesignificanthumanimpactofhumanactivitiesontheEarth’satmospheric,biospheric,geologicandhydrologicsystems.Thisperiodintimealsoconsiderschangeshappeningduetoclimatechangeevents,whichisalsomainlycausedbyhumanactivities.Wecanseeallthesechangeseverywhere.WhentreesaretakendownintheAmazonianforest,theecosystemschangeasspeciesstruggletosurviveandthelocalhumidityandtheclimatebothchange.Aswell,buildingadamalsochangesthedistributionofwaterandaffectsthespecieslivingalongtheriver’scourse. AnexampleoftenusedabouthowhumanactivitiesaffectecosystemsistheUSYellowstoneNationalPark.Here,asinothernationalparks,theU.S.BiologicalSurveydecidedtokillwolfsandotherspeciesasapredatorcontrolmeasure.Theproblemwasthatthedisappearanceofthewolfpopulationaffectedalltheecosysteminthelongrun,evenchangingthecourseofthelocalriver.ThewolfwaslaterreintroducedinthePark,around70yearslater,inanattempttorestorethebalanceoftheecosystem.Checkoutthewholestoryonthisvideo: WhyIsPreservingEcosystemsImportant? Likeallotherlivingbeings,humansaredependantonnaturalecosystemservicestosurvive.Weneedittogetthefoodweeat,thewaterwedrinkandtotransformrawmaterialsintooureverydayproducts.Soinordertokeepourlivingconditions,it’strulyimportantthatwepreservenaturalecosystems. Forexample,theagriculturethatprovidesourfooddependsonthecharacteristicsofaspecificecosystem.Cerealsorvegetablesgrowonlyundercertainconditionsoftemperatureandhumidity.Theyalsoneedcertainnaturalprocesses,suchaspollination,totakeplace.Ifwechangethesecharacteristicstoointensely,thereistheriskthatwearen’tabletoproducewhatweproducetoday,oratleastnotinthesameway.That’swhytherearesomeagriculturaltechniquesthatunderstandandmanagefoodproduction(suchasagroforestry,permacultureorregenerativeagriculture)thatthewiderimpactsofusingherbicides,pesticides,exhaustingnearbywatersourcesorbettingondifferenttypesoftreesthatmakeecosystemsmoreresilient. Related:AreAvocadosSustainable?FromTheirHighWaterNeedsToDeforestationAndCartels. WhatAreTheEcosystemServices? AccordingtoFAO,ecosystemservices,worthUSD$125trillion, “makehumanlifepossibleby,forinstance,providingnutritiousfoodandcleanwater,regulatingdiseaseandclimate,supportingthepollinationofcropsandsoilformation,andprovidingrecreational,cultural andspiritualbenefits.”  Forallthesetobepossible,Earth’secosystemslikeforestecosystems,grasslandecosystems,aquaticecosystemsoragroecosystemsneedtoproperlyfunction.Butthefactisthatsomeecosystemservicesarecurrentlyunderthreat. EcosystemServices:Examples Withoutecosystemservices,lifeonEarthasweknowitwouldn’texist.Therearefourmaincategoriesofecosystemservices: Provisioningservicesrefertotheproductssecuredbyecosystems.Theseinclude: •Water •Food(includingcattleandseafood) •Pharmaceuticals,biochemicals,andindustrialproducts •Energy(sunlight,hydropower,biomass) Regulatingservicesaretheecosystemservicesthatallowtheregulationofecosystemprocessessuchas: •Climateregulation(andcarbonabsorptionandstorageviatheoceans,trees,soil) •Wastedecomposition(oneofthemostessentialmicrobialprocesshappeninginsoil) •Croppollination(performedbyagentssuchasbeesthatcontributetothereproductionoffloweringplants) •Waterandairpurificationandregulation •Controlofpestsanddiseases Supportingandhabitatservicesrefertotheabilityofecosystemstogivehabitatformigratoryspeciesandtosupporttheviabilityofgene-pools.Thisispossiblethanksto: •Primaryreproduction •Nutrientandseeddispersal Culturalservicesarethebenefitsecosystemservicesbringtohumans.Examplesoftheseare: •Inspirationforintellectual(creativity),cultural(entertainment)andspiritual(why)purposes   –Rememberhowitfeelsgoodtoseeingandhearingwildbirds   –Animals,plantsandeventhefunghikingdomserveasinspirationintheaters,movies…   –Manypeoplegotonaturalsiteswhentheywanttobealoneorreflectaboutlife •Recreationalexperiencessuchasoutdoorsactivitiesorecotourism •Scientificdiscoveryandoptimization/efficiencybyfollowingexamplesofthenaturalworld(biomimicry)   Learnmoreaboutecosystemservices,hownaturalresourcesarebeingoverexploited,howtheenvironmentisbeingdamagedandhowtoprotectecosystemservicesforthefuturegenerations: HowDoHumansAffectEcosystems?TheHumanImpactOnEcosystems Humanactivitiesarehavinganegativeimpactonecosystems.Infact,accordingtothefamousMillenniumEcosystemsAssessment,atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,humanactivitieschangedecosystemsmorerapidlythaneverbefore. Humakinghasbeendemandingforfood,water,food,timber, andothermaterialslikecrazy.Andallthesedemandshavebeenhighlycontributingtodeforestation(togrowmorecrops),thelossofnaturalpollination(beesaredisappearing),waterpollution(fromanimalexcretaandpesticidestoplastic),soilexploitation(duetointensiveagriculture),overfishingandhugebiodiversityloss.Butwhyarehumansaffectingecosystemsthismuch? WhyAreHumansAffectingEcosystems? Thereisnostraight-forwardanswertothisquestion.Buthumanactivitieshaveimpactsthataren’tinstantaneouslynoticed.Thismeansthevisualimpactoftheseeffectsisn’ttheremostofthetime.Aswell,theecologicalcapitalishardtomeasure. Forinstance,transforminglandtobuildahotelwillhavespecificcosts(buyingtheland,constructionmaterials,manpower)andtherevenuecanbepredictedviaestimationofoccupancyrate,priceperseason…Butthere’snoprecisewaytoquantifywhat’sthevalueofthatparkandthosetreesthatwillneedtobetakendowntobuildit.Whatisitsvaluefortheenvironment?Andforthefamiliesthatgothereeveryday?There’snoexactwayofansweringthis,althoughorganizationssuchastheEuropeanParliamentaretryingtoshedlightonthisissue. Apartfromtheneedtouseecosystemsservicesatalargescaletokeeptheeconomyrolling,there’salsoanotherverydiscussedtheoryonthisissue.Itsaysthatifanecosystemserviceiscommonandbelongstonooneinparticular,humanswillexploitituntiltheyexhaustit.Thistheorywhereindividualspursuetheirindividualinterestsiscalledthetragedyofthecommons.Findmoreinfoaboutitinoursustainabledevelopmentdefinition. EcosystemsExpandedToHumanEnvironments Generallyspeaking,weneedtohaveamorerationalapproachregardinghowwe’retransformingecosystems.Weneedtorethinktheprocessesbywhichwechange,take,useandgetdisposedofnaturalresources.Theyneedtobecomemoreefficientandcircularsothatecosystemscanbebetterpreserved.Onlybyrestoringamoreharmoniousandlastingcohabitationwithnaturalhabitatsandtheirlivingpopulationwe’llbeabletobenefitfromtheEarthservices.Theseareespeciallyimportanttohumankind’ssurvivalonwhatconcerns: Supply:water,food,materials,energyresources,pharmacopoeia… Regulation: climate,watercycles,bio-ecologicalcycles,atmosphericstability(oxygenproduction)andgeological… EcosystemsAndCorporateSocialResponsibility Totryandrestorethehealthofecosystemsandtheirbalance,ourconsumptionandextractionprocesseswillneedtobecomemoreefficientandcircular.Forthis,itiscrucialthatcompaniesdevelopsustainabilityandCSRstrategies– thattheyassesstheirimpactandactuponit.Governmentsneedtocreatebetterregulationstoencouragecompaniestofollowthispath,whileatthesametime,findwaystomeasureandincludethenaturalcapitalinthemostfamousway(notnecessarilyagoodorfairone)ofaccessingprogress:GDP. Related:ConsumersWantCompaniesThatCareAboutSocialAndEnvironmentalIssues TheEuropeanUnionIsMappingItsEcosystemsAndTheirServices(MAES) ThegoaloftheselargeassessmentsconductedbytheEUistoevaluateandmeasureecosystemsandtheirservicesinordertosupportbetterdecisionsoncomplexpublicissues.Morespecifically,theyaddressissuessuchasbiodiversity,water,agriculture,forests,andregionalplanning–hopingtoprovidereliabledatausedforbetterplanningandimplementationofpositiveprojects.Thelatestedition(5th)waspublishedin2018. [ImagecreditstomarineecosystemonShutterstockandAfricanecosystemonShutterstock] Yourturntotakeaction! Showhowusefulthisarticlehasbeen Share Sharetoraiseawarenessaroundyou! Subscribe Subscribetoournewslettertostayup-to-date relateddefinitions 0 SustainableAviationFuel(SAF):definition,benefits,drawbacks… Welcomeback Loginandinteractwithengagingcontent: showhowtheymattertoyou,shareyourexperience... 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