What is meant by ecosystem

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) A producer in an ecosystem is the baseline part of a food chain. Producers include plants, bacteria, algae and phytoplankton. Organisms that eat producers are called consumers, and organisms that consume dead organisms are called decomposers. They all participate in the complex web of an ecosystem. What Are Producers in Ecology? This foundational role exists on land and in the sea. In the ocean, phytoplankton and algae represent the bulk of producers. Zooplankton, smaller fish and crustaceans are the primary consumers of those ocean producers. Secondary consumers include fish, corals, sharks and some whales. Some examples of tertiary consumers, or apex predators, in the ocean include sharks, whales, seals, dolphins and other predators. The Importance of a Producer in Environmental Science Having established the role of a producer in an ecosystem, you might wonder why they are important to environmental science. Environmental science emphasizes the study and conservation of the environment. With producers playing such an essential role in an ecosystem, harmful effects can occur with their removal. Climate change and the introduction of invasive species can disrupt entire food chains. Suppose an apex predator is wiped out from a food chain. In that case, that means more of its prey exists in competition with each other for limited resources. If a plant species is removed, food resources for consumers are also disrupted. All the interactions in a...

The term ecosystem refers to the combined physical and biological components of an environment. An ecosystem is generally an area within the natural environment in which physical (abiotic) factors of the environment, such as rocks and soil, function together along with interdependent (biotic) organisms, such as plants and animals, within the same habitat to create a stable system. Ecosystems can be permanent or temporary. Ecosystems usually form a number of food webs. Ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of living things in a given area, non-living chemical and physical factors of their environment, linked together through nutrient cycle and energy flow.

The two components of the biosphere are called the abiotic and the biotic. The abiotic, or nonliving, portion of each ecosystem includes the flow of energy, nutrients, water, and gases and the concentrations of organic and inorganic substances in the environment. The second component is the biotic, or living organism, portion, which includes producers, consumers, and decomposers. The major cycles that occur in the biosphere are the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, sulfur cycle, phosphorus cycle, and hydrological (water) cycle. biosphere, relatively thin life-supporting stratum of Before the coming of life, geosphere; it consists of the The biosphere is a system All life on Earth depends ultimately upon green Stated another way, the abiotic, or nonliving, portion of each ecosystem in the biosphere includes the flow of energy, nutrients, water, and gases and the concentrations of organic and inorganic substances in the environment. The biotic, or living, portion includes three general categories of organisms based on their methods of acquiring energy: the primary producers, largely green plants; the consumers, which include all the animals; and the decomposers, which include the microorganisms that break down the remains of plants and animals into simpler components for