An ecosystem is a community of living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, that interact with each other and their non-living environment, such as weather, soil, and climate, to form a bubble of life. In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role to play, and the living and physical components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems can be natural or artificial, land-based or water-based, and they are the foundations of the biosphere, determining the health of the entire Earth system.
The structure of an ecosystem is characterized by the organization of both biotic and abiotic components. The biotic components include all living organisms, while the abiotic components include minerals, climate, soil, water, sunlight, and all other non-living elements. The ecosystem is the functional unit of the environment system, and the abiotic components provide the matrix for the synthesis of organic components.
Ecosystems vary in size, from small ponds to entire biomes. The fundamental source of energy in almost all ecosystems is radiant energy from the Sun, which is used by the ecosystems autotrophic organisms, such as green vegetation, to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple, energy-rich carbohydrates through photosynthesis. The energy stored within the simple carbohydrates is then used by the autotrophs to produce more complex organic compounds, such as proteins, lipids, and starches, that maintain the organisms life processes. Organic matter generated by autotrophs directly or indirectly sustains heterotrophic organisms, such as animals and decomposers.
A good ecosystem consists of native plants and animal species interacting with each other and the environment, and a healthy ecosystem has an energy source and decomposers that break down dead plants and animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem. Human activities, such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change, can have disastrous effects on ecosystems, leading to the collapse of an ecosystem and the death of many of its native species.
