CONCEPT OF AN ECOSYSTEM

Living organisms exist only in a small proportion of earth’s land, water and atmosphere. This layer of
the earth including all the living forms is called the biosphere. Different parts of the biosphere are
characterised by different organism. All the organisms living in a geographical area forms a
community. It includes all the species living in that area. All individual organisms of one particular
species living in an area form the population of that species. For their existence the organisms interact
with each other and with their non-living environment. The study of these interactions or relationships
among the organisms and their environment is called ecology, a term coined by Earnest Haeckel in
1869. To carry out the ecological study, we must specify a unit of study. Ecosystem is one such basic
unit which was first used by Tansley in 1935. It can be defined as ‘a community of living organisms
interacting with one another and with their non-living environment’. An ecosystem is a geographical
unit in which living organisms interact with their environment. It is a region with a specific and
recognizable landscape. For example, different forests, grasslands, river catchments, mangrove
swamps in deltas, seashores and islands represent different ecosystem. Each of these forms a habitat
for specific plants and animals. The geographical, climatic and soil characteristics of a region support
a specific community of plants and animals to live in that area. The interactions i.e. exchange of
energy and matter in an ecosystem is to perpetuate the community and to retain a large degree of
stability under varying conditions. In other words, the community of an ecosystem is self-regulating
group.

Ecosystems can be natural or artificial i.e. developed by man. Natural ecosystems include the forests,
grasslands, deserts, and aquatic ecosystems such as ponds, rivers, lakes, and the sea. Man modified
ecosystems include agricultural land and urban or industrial land use patterns. From the size point of
view, an ecosystem may be as small as a stable aquarium and as large as an ocean or a large forest.
The ecosystems of the earth are interconnected and interdependent. The biosphere can be considered
as a large ecosystem. Each ecosystem is unique and differs from others with respect to species
composition, rates of production and the interactions. However, all ecosystems have more or less
similar fundamental plan of their gross structure and function. Some key concepts of ecosystem are:

• An ecosystem is an integrated unit consisting of a community of interacting organisms whose

survival depends upon the maintenance and regulation of its structure and function.
• Each ecosystem may consist of many subsystems that are all directly or indirectly linked with
each other.
• Ecosystems are open systems with at least inflow and outflow of energy.
• Life on earth is sustained by the flow of energy from the sun and cycling of nutrients through
the ecosystem processes.
• Ecosystems maintain their balance by even distribution of sustainable energy among the
interdependent community members (through food chain) without any external interference.
Bigger the ecosystem more is the balance.
• Numerous biotic and abiotic factors influence the growth of populations. Some stimulate
growth; others deter growth. However, like organisms, ecosystems possess many mechanisms
that help to keep natural systems in a state of relative constancy. Normally, ecosystems have
the abilities to resist unfavourable changes and return to a balanced point. This mechanism is
called homeostasis.
• Human activities may alter the structure and function of the ecosystem and cause imbalance
in the ecosystem.
Species Interactions
The ecosystem community consists of individuals belonging to of different species. The species living
together are mutually dependent on each other for different reasons such as food and shelter.
Different types of interactions exist among them, mostly for availing the food. Some of the common
types of interaction that exist between two species are:
• Mutualism or Symbiosis: both species are benefitted.
• Commensalism: one species benefits while the other experiences neither harm nor benefit.
• Predation: one species preys upon or consumes the other.
• Parasitism: one species (the parasite) uses or consumes part of another organism (the host)
over a period of time, harming the host but not necessarily killing it.

The species are always involved in different types of competition for availing the limited resources of
the ecosystem. In an interspecific competition both species suffer whereas in a competitive exclusion
such as predator-prey relationship the superior competitor outcompetes and eventually kills off the
inferior competitor. However, it generally does not lead the extermination of the species. The reason
is each species in an ecosystem has its own ecological niche within a habitat. The area to which a
species is adapted to live is called its habitat. The habitat of a given species or population has certain
characteristic features with respect to climate, water, vegetation, soil type etc. The ecological niche is
characterized by particular food habits, shelter-seeking methods, ways of nesting and reproduction
etc. of the species. When different species live in the same habitat, the competition may be slight as
each species has its own niche.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

Ecosystems are the basis of life. With progress of civilisation, humans have evolved remarkable
abilities that give us a distinct advantage over many other species. These advantages have permitted
us to colonize much of the world and radically reshape the environment, sometimes to our own
detriment. The natural ecosystems provide a variety of products. They are also regions in which a
number of vital ecological processes take place. Thus ecosystems provide us the essential natural
resources and ecological services, without which human civilization would not be able to exist.

An ecosystem which has attained maturity is by and large is a very stable system. It is controlled by
feedback mechanism which may be either positive or negative. Many such feedback mechanisms
occur in ecosystem to resist change. Ecosystems are however frequently disrupted by human actions
which lead to the extinction of species of plants and animals. Increasing extraction of resources is at
the cost of natural ecosystems, leading to a derangement of their important functions. Human
activities alter the environment by changing its biotic and abiotic components – directly or indirectly.
Human activities often alter the chemical and physical nature of the environment (i.e. the abiotic
conditions) with profound effects both on us and on the species that share this planet with us. Many
human activities have a direct effect on the biotic components of ecosystems. Introduction of foreign
species is particularly troublesome because these species may proliferate without control, causing
major economic and environmental damage. Any disturbance in autotrophic-heterotrophic balance
leads to ecosystem imbalance, more the imbalance more externals are required to balance. The ability
of ecosystems to recover from small changes minimizes and sometimes negates the impacts of human
actions. However, in many instances, human actions can overwhelm the recuperative capacity of
natural systems. Tampering with abiotic and biotic factors tends to reduce species diversity and thus
simplify ecosystems, which makes them considerably more vulnerable to natural forces.