What is the Importance of Ecosystems?
The ecosystem explains how energy and matter are circulated or moved through different environments that include biotic and abiotic factors. An interactive stable system or community formed as a result of various organisms interacting with each other and the non-living components of the environment is called an ecosystem. Let's understand further the importance of ecosystems.
Role of Ecosystems
The major points that include the role of ecosystems in the universe include the following:
It is important for ecological processes and regulation of the energy flow, supporting life systems and providing stability.
It is essential for an utmost important process called nutrient cycling, where nutrients in the form of energy and matter are exchanged between biotic and abiotic components.
It is helpful in maintaining a proper balance among different trophic levels in the ecosystem.
The ecosystem allows the recycling of minerals in the biosphere. The biosphere is briefly explained further in the article.
It produces plenty of organic compounds that help in exchanging energy among various different levels of organisms.
It flourishes people with food, fiber, paper, timber and medicines; it also provides renewable and non-renewable sources of energy.
Why is the Ecosystem So Important?
The importance of the ecosystem can be understood with the following points and all the terms and factors associated with it.
The conservation of matter and energy takes place in ecosystems and the energy flowing through the system is balanced as it flows from one organism to another and the matter is recycled.
Different ecosystems interacting with each other is called the biosphere. Therefore, we can say the biosphere is the sum of all worldwide ecosystems and is also known as the ecosphere.
An ecosystem comprises:
A community
Biotic component
Abiotic component
A brief understanding of the terms
A community is created when living and nonliving components in an environment are in conjunction with each other. It means those interact as a system where nutrient cycles and energy flows are involved. The linking of these components, i.e. biotic and abiotic components, respectively, form an ecosystem.
Biotic factors or components comprise plants, animals and microorganisms, whereas abiotic components include sunlight, wind, soil, climate, air, minerals, temperature, altitude, turbidity and pH.
Now, the question arises: How and where does the energy that is produced and flow back that highly contributes to the importance of an ecosystem? The answer to this question can be explained in the following steps:
Primary Production- The energy enters the system through photosynthesis which is the process of synthesizing food by autotrophic plants. This is the primary reason why plants are important to the ecosystem.
Energy Flow- By feeding on these plants as well as on other animals, the animals here have an important role in the movement of energy and matter throughout the system. Additionally, they also contribute to the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present in the system.
Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling- Now, it's time to know how energy circulates back to the atmosphere. The answer is decomposers that release carbon to the environment and facilitate nutrient cycling, i.e. they convert nutrients present in the dead biomass back to the atmosphere in the form that plants and other microbes can readily use it.
Numerous living organisms are found in the ecosystem, which is broadly categorized as terrestrial (land) ecosystems and aquatic (water) ecosystems. The aquatic ecosystem includes marine, freshwater, oceans, ponds, and rivers, whereas terrestrial ecosystems include terrestrial biomes, which are savannas, deserts, tropical rain forests, deciduous forests and tundra.
Ecologists find it interesting to trace the movement of energy and matter through ecosystems. In this system, multiple food webs, i.e. networks of organisms feeding on each other and biogeochemical cycles, i.e. the pathways for chemical elements, are highly involved. The various organisms tend to adapt to the environment in search of food and need for energy in a particular ecosystem.
It can be said that the entry of energy in the ecosystem is in the form of light (sunlight during photosynthesis) and the exit of energy is in the form of heat. Unlike matter, energy cannot be recycled in ecosystems and is a one-way flow and therefore, it is said that energy flow is unidirectional in an ecosystem. When energy transfers from one organism to another or to the environment, it is converted to heat (but this form of energy cannot be used by living organisms as such).
Why is the Ecosystem so Important? The biodiversity of an ecosystem is important because it stabilizes the whole system where life is present. When any severe impact is there for a particular species on the ecosystem, the other several plant species performing similar functions can help the survival of the plants and ecosystem sustenance. Therefore, it is important that a variety of organisms interact with each other to help sustain lives in an ecosystem.
We should take care that any of the human activities do not disturb the ecological balance in the ecosystem. It should not be pushed to a point where the ecosystem reaches a zone that is no longer resilient. It may result in the permanent alteration or loss of a particular ecosystem.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors in the Ecosystem
In the case of Biotic factors, without the producers on this earth, there would be no other life existing as it is seen in today's world. These biotic factors are fundamental to the food chains that are formed of all other ecosystems on earth. For example, a tree produces fruits that can be consumed by human beings or any other living organism. The same tree also helps in converting the carbon dioxide from the normal air to oxygen, which is breathed in by humans during the process of photosynthesis. Moreover, the plant also stores energy and acts as a decomposing factor, which can be used as fuel as well. Therefore a single valuable producer is producing more than one factor of life on earth, making the ecosystem more lively and worthwhile than any other living organism on earth.
Likewise, the abiotic factors comprise all physical and chemical nonliving parts of an ecosystem that shapes its environment and help in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. In a terrestrial ecosystem, examples might include temperature, light, and water and in a marine type of ecosystem, abiotic factors would include the salinity and the currents present in the ocean.
Conclusion
An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, interact with the seasons and environment and try to coexist. Ecosystems are composed of both biotic components or living organisms, as well as abiotic which consist of nonliving organisms. Biotic factors are living things within an ecosystem which includes plants, animals, and bacteria, while abiotic factors are non-living components that involve water, soil, and atmosphere.
FAQs on Importance of Ecosystem
What is the Purpose of an Ecosystem?
The ecosystem helps in balancing the energy and matter flowing or transferring from one organism to another. It also involves abiotic factors that are non-living components like sunlight, wind, temperature, pH, soil, etc. Living components include plants, animals and microorganisms in an ecosystem. The importance of an ecosystem allows-
Providing habitat to wild animals and plants.
Supporting various food webs/food chains.
Regulating essential processes in ecology and supporting lives.
Recycling nutrients between biotic and abiotic factors.
Maintain the flow of energy with the help of the carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle and oxygen cycle.
What are the 3 main factors that comprise a Biotic environment?
Biotic factors have been divided into three main categories, which define their distinctive role in the ecosystem Producers of living organisms are known as Autotrophs, Consumers are the ones who depend on the other living organisms in order to live and survive in the environment known as the heterotrophs and finally the Decomposers involves any organism that depends on the decomposes of other living things on this earth and known as detritivores.
How do climatic changes affect the ecosystem?
Climate change that occurs in a different season of the year can make changes to where the living species will live, how they interact with the environment, and the timing of biological events that will happen through interaction, and this could fundamentally affect and transform current ecosystems and food chains. Wildfires, floods, and droughts can all be contributing to climatic changes, which makes ecosystems incapable of withstanding these events and disturbances.
Does deforestation largely affect the ecosystem?
Deforestation can directly lead to huge biodiversity loss when animal species that live in the trees and forest no longer have their place of habitat and find it difficult to relocate to other similar places, and therefore their species start to become extinct. Deforestation can also lead certain special unique tree species to permanently disappear, which hugely affects the biodiversity of plant species in the ecosystem. Students should take the initiative to save and grow trees in order to make the earth a better place for their generations to live in.
How can we restore the ecosystem and why is it important?
Ways to restore the ecosystem include preparation of the wasteland for cultivation purposes and introducing more natural fertilizer and pest control, and growing more diverse crops, most importantly including the planting of trees. These steps can rebuild soil fertility and make them even more fertile so every country can feed its growing populations without using even more land. Thus, Ecological restoration can help to carefully safeguard our rich diversity of human cultures on earth by supporting human-environment relationships that are mutually beneficial.
Why is protecting our ecosystem necessary?
Maintaining healthy and active ecosystems can purify our water and air, maintain the level of fertility of our soil, regulate the climate by adapting to certain changes, and finally, help in recycling the biodegradable nutrients and provide us with healthy food. They provide raw materials and resources for inventing medicines and other important purposes. It's that simple to theoretically talk about maintaining our ecosystem, but practically we should take the necessary steps to protect our nature because we could not survive without these ecosystem services.
