Ecosystems (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what ecosystems are and how they are classified. Also, what are its general characteristics, components and diversity.

What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a set of plants and other living organisms (biocenosis) that are interrelated and that share the same environment with certain physical and chemical characteristics (biotope). One ecosystem is differentiated from another by its biodiversity, its climate and its geography.

The entire earth's surface is a series of connected ecosystems. The set of nearby ecosystems that share a certain region of the planet is called a biome. Biome types can be terrestrial (such as rainforest, temperate forest, savannah, steppe, tundra and desert) or aquatic (freshwater and saltwater), within which various ecosystems can be found. .

Types of ecosystems

ecosystems - desert — The poles are considered cold deserts due to their extreme conditions.

There are many types of ecosystems, but two main classes can be distinguished:

Terrestrial. These ecosystems are classified into:
- Tropical humid forest. It has an abundant amount of water, humidity and high temperatures.
- Meadow. The climatic and geographical conditions are suitable for the exploitation of livestock.
- Mountain. At high altitudes, very harsh climatic conditions usually prevail, where only alpine-type vegetation survives.
- Desert. It has a small amount of water and high temperatures.
- Pole. Also known as a cold desert due to its extreme conditions with very low temperatures.
Aquatics. These ecosystems are classified into:
- Fresh water. They are home to fish, amphibians, algae, underwater plants, insects, among others. They can be stationary water (such as ponds) or flowing water (such as streams).
- Saltwater. They are marine ecosystems and they are the most abundant on the planet. It ranges from the bottom of the oceans to tidal zones, swamps and coral reefs.
- Urban. These ecosystems were altered or created by man and are composed of microorganisms, animals and plants, which adapted to share the same soil and climate.

Components of an ecosystem

The components of an ecosystem are divided into two large groups:

Biotics. Within this group are the different species of living beings.
Abiotics. It corresponds to water, soil, light, salinity, winds, temperature and other physical conditions of the environment.

Each component depends on any other factor in the ecosystem, directly or indirectly. For example, a noticeable change in temperature may affect the plants that grow there, and animals that depend on plants for food and shelter will have to adapt to these changes or move to another ecosystem.

Food chain in ecosystems

Eagle hunting fish — Secondary consumers feed on primary consumers.

The two large groups that make up an ecosystem (biotics and abiotics) They join or interrelate through the flow of energy that comes from the Sun and the nutrient cycle that occurs in each ecosystem. Autotrophic organisms use the energy they receive from the Sun to generate their own food (much of the green vegetation through photosynthesis). These organisms constitute the “producer” level of an ecosystem.

The organic matter generated by autotrophs directly impacts the heterotrophic organisms that cannot generate their own food (all animals, fungi, bacteria and many other microorganisms) and constitute the “primary consumer” level of an ecosystem. Other organisms feed on primary consumers and constitute the “secondary consumer” level of an ecosystem, and so the sequence between consumers continues.

The movement of organic matter and energy from the producer level through The different levels of consumers constitute the food chain. An example of this chain process is grass (producer) being eaten by a mouse (primary consumer), who is then eaten by a snake (secondary consumer), who is later eaten by a hawk (tertiary consumer).

Characteristics of an ecosystem

Forest fires — Natural disasters can break the balance of an ecosystem.

An ecosystem is:

Dynamic: It presents a constant flow of energy and movement.
Variable: Presents changes due to the different seasons.
Complex: Being a system that involves and relates numerous living and non-living factors.

On the other hand, an ecosystem remains in equilibrium when its composition and identity remain constant. It can lose its balance in the face of natural disasters (although, slowly and with the passage of time, it could recover) or due to the careless and excessive actions of human activity.

Examples of ecosystems

Ecosystems - Central Park — Central Park contains an ecological system located in the center of Manhattan Island.

Some examples of ecosystems are:

Zempoala Lagoons, Morelos (freshwater ecosystem). It is a National Park located very close to Mexico City, made up of seven lagoons surrounded by fir and oak forests.
The Sierra de Nevada de Santa Marta (mountain ecosystem). It is a mountain system in northern Colombia that overlooks the Caribbean coast and is isolated from the Andes. It has snow-capped peaks of 5,775 meters above sea level.
New York's Central Park (urban ecosystem). It is an urban ecosystem that contains an ecological system located in the center of Manhattan Island.
The savanna of Mexico (savanna ecosystem). It is a vast territory between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, in the area of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The climate is tropical with a lot of rain in summer and floods the soils which, in the dry season, harden and crack.
Coral reefs in Mexico (marine ecosystem). They are deployed in three areas: the Pacific coast from Baja California to Oaxaca, the coasts of Veracruz, Campeche and the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.