How Nature Works in Harmony
What an ecosystem is
Learn what an ecosystem is, and what it is made of.
Living things depend on non-living things to survive, and plants and animals also depend on each other for nutrition, respiration and reproduction. Both kinds of interaction matter in every habitat.
Activity 12.4 sorts interactions into three kinds:
| Criterion | Between | Affects | Book's examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | abiotic and biotic | life processes: nutrition, respiration, reproduction | earthworms live in moist soil; a fish lays eggs in water |
| 2 | two abiotic parts | the physical features of the habitat | the day is hot because of bright sunlight; water evaporates fast in the sunlight |
| 3 | two biotic parts | the resources available | a frog eats insects; frogs and fish may compete for small insect larvae |
That gives the chapter's central idea. The biotic components of a habitat (plants, animals, microorganisms) and its abiotic components (air, water, soil, sunlight, temperature), interacting with each other, form an ecosystem.
There are two main types:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| aquatic (water) | ponds, rivers, lakes |
| terrestrial (land) | forests, farms, even one large banyan, mango or pilkhan tree |
So an ecosystem can be large or small.
Ecosystems also overlap. A small river (aquatic) running past mountains, forests, grassland and farmland touches several land ecosystems, and they all affect one another. Farmland is a human-made ecosystem.
How living things depend on non-living ones is easy to see: plants need sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to make food; soil gives them a place to grow and nutrients; air gives oxygen to plants and animals for respiration; and water is essential for every living thing.
It works the other way too: abiotic parts are changed by biotic ones. Plants release oxygen in photosynthesis, roots hold the soil and stop erosion, and plants keep the soil moist and help cool the air. And the levels build up step by step: individual → population → community → ecosystem.
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