All biosphere ecosystems have well-organized functions, such as cycling nutrients through food chains, operating biogeochemical cycles, and maintaining the energy flow received by green plants through solar radiation.
Interdependence between two species through which individuals of either one or both species benefit is called positive interdependence. The benefits to the individual of any species through this relationship may be continuous or transitory, obligate or facultative. Both partners in this type of relationship may be in close contact; one may be inside some specific area or attached to the surface of the other’s body. Positive interdependence is divided into three major types: mutualism, Commensalism, and proto-cooperation.
A habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Ecosystems can be categorised into two broad categories: natural and artificial. Natural Ecosystems are those ecosystems that operate by themselves under natural conditions. These ecosystems are further categorized as Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems relate to lands, whereas Aquatic ecosystems relate to fresh or marine water. Freshwater ecosystems may be Lotic or Lentic. Lotic are running water ecosystems like springs, streams or rivers, whereas Lentic Fresh Water Ecosystems may be found in standing waters of lakes, ponds, pools, puddles, ditches, swamps, etc. Marine Ecosystems are found in marine waters of salt lakes, seas, oceans and estuaries. Artificial Ecosystems are man-engineered ecosystems like crop fields, artificial ponds and lakes, aquaria, fish ponds, and abandoned mines reclaimed as lakes or water bodies for recreation.
The environment has two basic components: Biotic and Abiotic. The biotic components of an ecosystem are living beings—plants, animals, and…
The environment of our earth has a number of life zones that support birth and development of all types of organisms.
All the life zones of the earth are collectively called as Biosphere.
The biosphere vertically extends into the atmosphere up to about 10 km and downwards into the oceans up to a depth of about6.9 km.
Consumers too utilize some energy in their metabolic processes. Under these conditions some energy escapes away in the form of their body heat and some energy is wasted through excretory matter from their bodies. The rest of the energy goes into the atmosphere when top consumer dies and its body is decomposed.
Fossil fuels- coal, petroleum and natural gas, are sources of energy and lots of useful substances. They have been and still they are the back bones of the economic developments and the basis of the modern civilization.
The biosphere has been composed of a number of highly complex ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, oceans, estuaries, deserts etc. These ecosystems have gone under threat over the years due to intensive human pressure of serious pollutions, habitats destructions, land, water bodies, wetlands and coastal zones reclamations and so on.
Living beings in environment like animals and plants constitute more than half of the environment in the biosphere. All of these need to be conserved.
