Top 10 Characteristics of an Ecosystem

Some Characteristics of an ecosystem More important are its abiotic and biotic components, food chains or stochastic events.

A ecosystem Is a set of living organisms (which are known scientifically as biocenosis), such as animals and plants, that are related to each other, relate to other (non-living) physical factors and their environment.

Ecosystem components

All of them have in common that they share a physical place - called biotopo - that can vary in its extension as we will see in some of the characteristics of the ecosystems.

Main features of an ecosystem

Abiotic components of an ecosystem

Also known as"abiota"are the elements that are considered lifeless in a ecosystem , But also interact with each other and with the other components.

Among the abiotic components are physical factors such as humidity, light, temperature, wind, dew and space.

Biotic components of an ecosystem

Also known as"biota"are organisms that have life within an ecosystem. The biotic components can be classified according to the type of feed that characterizes them or according to their nutritional needs, in autotrophs and heterotrophs.

Autotrophs are organisms that self-fertilize or nourish themselves. These are the bacteria, plants and algae that take inorganic raw materials to make their own food.

In contrast, heterotrophs are those that feed on others. With this, we refer to those animals, fungi and microorganisms that from the intake of other animals or plants get their energy and their nutrients.

Functioning of an ecosystem

Basically for an ecosystem to work requires energy. Energy is what sustains the life of the ecosystem. The main source of energy in any ecosystem comes from Sun .

Another function of energy in an ecosystem is the mobilization of both water, minerals and other physical elements, which allows them to pass from soil, water or air to organisms.

Even the energy allows these components to pass from one living organism to another to finally return to the soil, water or air from which they came out, thereby closing the cycle.

Ecological succession

Sometimes some elements of an ecosystem are replaced naturally by another element over time.

For example, in the case of vegetation when grass replaces mosses and lichens. Once the ecosystem regains its equilibrium and the changes cease, it is called the climax.

From there, the changes that happen are among the same elements, for example, new trees that replace old trees.

When the changes happen from the intervention of a human being, it is said that the ecological succession has anthropogenic causes.

Biomes

Biome refers to large terrestrial ecosystems that are characterized by having the same type of vegetation.

In our planet there are many biomes that are determined mainly by the climate (temperature and rain), the soils and the vegetation.

The climate is in turn influenced by the macroclimate of the region and the microclimate of the specific place.

Classification according to their origin

Ecosystems can be classified in different ways. A first classification is according to whether the origin of the same is natural or artificial.

Natural ecosystems have not been modified by human activity. Artificial ecosystems are made by man for some purpose. Examples of the latter are dams or tanks.

Sorting by size and location

They can also be classified according to the size of the ecosystem. It is called Microecosystem When it has a small extension, such as a fish tank or a small garden on the balcony of a home.

On the other hand, is called macroecosystem when they are ecosystems of great extension like for example the sea or a mountain.

It can also be classified according to the location of the ecosystem. When it is in the water, it is called the aquatic ecosystem.

When are they Ecosystems Which also combine relationships in the earth are called air-terrestrial.

While the so-called transitional ecosystems are those that occur between water and land, such as the banks of rivers or swamps.

Food chains

In an ecosystem living beings share the quest for food to survive. In the case of animals competition for food is combined with the need not to be devoured in that attempt.

In the case of plants, the need for food is given by water, natural light, air and minerals present in the soil. In both requires living beings need the energy that gives them food.

The way in which energy passes from one living being to another is called the"food chain". Generally speaking, it happens like this: energy from the sun is taken by plants.

Herbivores - animals that feed on plants - get some of that energy from ingesting plants. And in the upper levels of the chain, that is, for carnivores, the energy that arrives is even better.

Structure of ecosystems

An ecosystem can also be classified according to whether its structure is vertical or horizontal. In the vertical structure, as its name implies, the greater variety and complexity of the ecosystem occurs vertically, as can be seen in the forest where there is an herbaceous stratum (relative to the grass), a shrub stratum (relative to the Shrubs) and an arboreal stratum (relative to trees).

In contrast the horizontal structure the ecosystem develops along, as for example can be the example of the riverbed.

Stochastic events in ecosystems

Modifications in ecosystems are given by events that most of the time can not be predicted by humans. The modifications come from events that happen at random and are therefore called stochastic events.

In the face of these events the individuals that are part of this ecosystem have diverse reactions. And the future features of that ecosystem will be the result of the sum of all these behaviors.

References

  1. RICKLEFS, Robert (2001). "Invitation to Ecology", Panamerican Medical Publishing House, Madrid.
  2. Practical thematic consultant (2001). "Ecology", Editorial Nauta, Bogotá.
  3. ATLAS OF ECOLOGY (1996). Editorial Thema, Madrid.
  4. University of Navarra, Spain. (2015). E-Book: Earth Sciences and the Ecosystem. Theme 4. Ecosystems. Recovered by: ecnun.es.
  5. Mexican Biodiversity. National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity Government of Mexico. Mexico (2017)"What is an ecosystem"Retrieved from: conabio.gob.mx.


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