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Define ecosystem which envelops our lives and the lives of other creatures on our blue planet, within a coherent system in which several components harmonize to form a stable vital environment capable of continuing, to embrace within it an organized life, astonishing those who think about its arrangement and organization, and given the importance of recognizing the order in which we live, During our next article on the reference website on the concept of the ecosystem, and its components of different types, which contributes to knowing the things that could cause a malfunction in this system, which could threaten our lives.

Define ecosystem

An ecosystem is defined as a group of living organisms interacting with each other and with the surrounding environment within a series of interconnected relationships that are interconnected with a general fabric for the continuation and regular development of life.Knowing that this system is characterized by a dynamism capable of adapting to the disturbances that may affect it, to be, with its physical characteristics, a home for various types of living organisms that coexist with each other, taking advantage of the non-living components of the system within a certain geographical scope that has its own characteristics and features, knowing that all Ecosystems on the renewal of energy and its transformations within the interconnected life chains, starting with products and passing through consumers, thus achieving a balance that ensures environmental recycling.[1]

Defining the ecosystem in the language

An ecosystem is defined in the comprehensive dictionary of meanings of the Arabic language as a group of living organisms that live in an orderly fashion with the environment it contains.While this concept bears the term “Ecosystem” in the English language, which consists of two words that in their meeting indicate clues that clarify the meaning of the general term, as the word “Eco” in the ancient Greek language means “house”, which indicates that all parts of the system are present. Together, while the word “system” means the system, that is, all the components interact so that they affect and are affected by each other.[2]

The ability of an organism to respond to changes in its environment

types of ecosystem

An ecosystem can be as small as an oasis in a desert, or as large as an ocean, spanning thousands of miles, but in a form there are two types of ecosystem, namely:[3]

terrestrial ecosystem

This type of ecosystem is spread over land distances only, and different types emerge from it according to the geological region on which the system is based, according to the following:

  • Rainforest Ecosystem: This ecosystem is characterized by being covered with lush green views with the availability of heavy rains, which created different types of plants and animals interacting within this ecosystem.
  • Desert Ecosystem: This system covers approximately 17% of the Earth’s surface, and is characterized by the presence of intense sunlight that causes high temperatures, in addition to having a small amount of water, which allows only a limited group of plants and animals to live in these harsh conditions, But some plants can be found, such as: cacti and other plants that can conserve water as much as they can, and animals, such as: camels, reptiles, and a few insects can be found.
  • Forest Ecosystem: This system includes a large and diverse group of plants and animals living together in a particular area, knowing that there are different types of forest ecosystems based on the climatic conditions prevailing in each region, such as: tropical, temperate, northern, etc.
  • Tundra ecosystem: Life is limited in this system, due to the harsh environment of the low altitudes of the polar regions, as most of the year the land in this region is covered with snow, which makes survival very difficult, so the presence of plants and animals there is limited.
  • Savannah Ecosystem: The ecosystem of the savanna differs slightly from the desert ecosystem, due to the amount of rainfall in the savanna, which supports the presence of plants and animals there.
  • Mountain ecosystem: The mountain ecosystem is characterized by the diversity of plants and animals that live in it. However, surviving in this system is a major challenge, and examples of animal adaptation include having long, thick fur to protect from the cold, and animals in this system have to spend a long period of hibernation.

aquatic ecosystem

The aquatic ecosystem represents the life found in different water bodies, but in general it can be divided into two main parts:

  • Marine Ecosystem: Marine ecosystems constitute an important part of the general ecosystem, as marine systems cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, and are characterized by containing a high percentage of salt. Near the shore, such as coral reefs or seagrass meadows, the marine ecosystem, like other ecosystems, consists of living components represented by fish, parasites, predators and other living organisms, and non-living components represented by nutrients, temperature, sunlight, salinity and density.
  • Freshwater Ecosystem: It is a type of aquatic ecosystem, covering less area compared to the marine ecosystem, as this system covers approximately 0.8% of the Earth’s surface. It includes the systems formed in ponds, lakes, and flowing bodies of water such as rivers.

Animals that live in the jungle and in the desert with pictures

components of the ecosystem

The composition of the various ecosystems includes a group of various elements that can be classified in general into two main groups, the living components and the non-living components, as each group includes different types of elements according to the following:[4]

non-living components

They are the non-living elements in the system, including physical and chemical materials, such as air, water, heat, minerals, and rocks within the system’s environment, and they can be classified as follows:

  • Climatic factors: This includes water, air, rainfall, temperature, and soil quality.
  • Organic factors: They are substances that have an impact on the life of living organisms, for example: proteins, fats, and sugars.
  • Inorganic Factors: Are the chemical elements and their compounds circulating in the environment, including iron, oxygen and sulfur.

live ingredients

They are the organisms that live within the environment of the system, as each of them has its own function and role within intertwined food chains that exchange energy within repeated life cycles, so they can be classified into three main groups as follows:

  • Products: Its name comes from being organisms capable of producing their own food, through their ability to produce organic compounds from inorganic compounds, and green plants are the first product in all food chains as they constitute food represented by sugars through the process of photosynthesis, in addition to their ability to absorb Carbon dioxide gas, and the oxygen needed for the respiration of other creatures.
  • Consumables: It is the second element in the food chains, and it relies on products mainly to secure its food, and it can be divided into several groups according to the type of their food as follows:

    • Primary consumers: and represent Herbivores, i.e., that obtain their food by eating plants, for example: cattle and deer.
    • Secondary consumers: They represent carnivorous animals that obtain their food from eating primary consumers, for example: snakes that eat rabbits.
    • Triple consumables: They are carnivores that feed on second-level meat eaters, for example: hawks that feed on snakes.
    • Quadruple Consumers: They are carnivores that feed on the tripartite consumers, and they are called apex predators, meaning that no other creature feeds on them.
  • Analyzers: They are the organisms that decompose food residues, organic waste and corpses accumulated in the ecosystem, such as: fungi and bacteria.

Which of the following adaptations helps birds to fly?

The difference between an ecosystem and the environment

Despite the direct connection between ecosystems and environments, the difference between the two terms is clear, as the ecosystem includes the relationships between living organisms and the space in which they live through interaction and mutual influences between living and non-living components within this space, while the term environment denotes That medium or space without focusing on the relationships that occur within it, but certainly a healthy environment will lead to a balanced ecosystem capable of continuing and developing to preserve the life of the organisms that make up and live within it.[5]

How does the natural ecosystem work

Since natural ecosystems are “balanced” systems, the interactions between the different organisms that make up these systems will contribute to a certain stability. For example, in pasture systems, herbivores consume grass, but the soil in which the grass grows also feeds on the excrement of these animals, creating a kind of balance. The ecosystem is also dynamic as it develops due to external or unexpected events, such as weather phenomena. Or natural, which leads to shifts in the environment, forcing organisms in ecosystems to adapt to the new constraints imposed by change, but it should be noted that although the ecosystem is always looking for stability, it does not succeed in it completely. Different natural imbalances permanently compensate for each other, knowing that some ecosystems develop very slowly while others can transform very quickly, and sometimes in extreme cases, the ecosystem as a whole can disappear.

Is the environment affected by heat?

Why is preserving ecosystems important

Humans, like all other living organisms, depend on the services of natural ecosystems to survive, as they need to get the food they eat and the water they drink, in addition to converting raw materials into products of daily consumption, so in order to maintain our living conditions, It is really important that we preserve the natural ecosystems. For example, agriculture that provides food depends on the characteristics of a particular ecosystem, under certain conditions of temperature and humidity, and it also needs certain natural processes, such as pollination, to occur, but if these characteristics change very intensively, there is a risk That we would not be able to produce what we produce today, or at least not in the same way, for this reason there are some agricultural technologies that understand and manage food production (such as agroforestry, permaculture or regenerative agriculture) that influence a larger scale than the use of herbicides or herbicides insects, depleting nearby water sources, or betting on different types of trees that make ecosystems more resilient.[6]

Ways to maintain ecological balance

Earth’s organisms interact with their environment in a strictly balanced life cycle, but this cycle is at risk due to the excessive use of natural resources by humanity and the damage to the ecosystem as a result of pollution, so it is necessary to remedy the matter and follow some methods that would maintain order environment, and among these methods we mention the following:[7]

  • Carefully manage natural resources: The expansion of civilization is placing an increasing burden on the ecosystem, as we notice the disappearance of minerals, fossil fuels and other natural resources at an alarming rate, in addition to overfishing and habitat destruction, which causes the loss of biodiversity that will have long-term negative consequences on the ecosystem. Concerted efforts to use natural resources in a sustainable manner aimed at protecting the ecological balance, by enacting laws that prevent overfishing, while establishing natural reserves in order to preserve diversity and protect living creatures from extinction. It is also necessary to support and develop the use of renewable energies.
  • Population Density Control: Humans have no natural predator to control their numbers, so it is necessary to take action at the individual and governmental level to control population growth, ensuring that the rate at which people consume natural resources is reduced.
  • Conservation of water: Pollution from wastewater, pollution from industrialization and agricultural runoff threatens the balance of marine ecosystems. , such as: streets, and farms to maintain ecological balance.

Research on environmental pollution with an introduction, conclusion and references

Here we have come to the end of our article Define ecosystem In which we talked about the concept of the ecosystem in terms of language and terminology, in addition to identifying the most important types of ecosystems, their components and methods of work, as well as ways to maintain them in balance in light of the full explanation of the need to preserve them.

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