Hobbies And Interests
Services
Ecosystems provide the Earth with multiple services that are important to human stability. They provide habitat for important wildlife, produce timber and disperse the seeds of vital plants. Ecosystems absorb extreme weather such as flooding, reducing the impact it has on human civilization. In the past, people have viewed these services as free because they are from nature. In fact, they are very difficult to duplicate and because of this they are worth trillions of dollars.
Water Purification
One vital service that an ecosystem provides for all life on Earth is water purification. As water moves through areas like wetlands, riparian zones and forests, it is purified and rid of excess minerals and toxins so that humans and animals may drink it again. According to the Ecological Society of America, it is much easier to prevent pollution than it is to clean water. Preserving ecosystems so they may continue to purify Earth's water is extremely important to sustainability.
Types
Scientists can generally classify four types of ecosystems on Earth. They are called biomes and include forest, desert, freshwater and marine biomes. Each of these can be broken down into multiple types as well. An ecosystem may be the size of a pond or a continent. For example, within the forest biome there is tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, deciduous forest and evergreen forest. Freshwater ecosystems include lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and swamps. The marine biome refers to the many ocean ecosystems.
Food Chain
Every ecosystem has a food chain. This involves the transfer of energy from one organism to the next and back in a circle. There is always a primary producer. This is the material that the smallest life form feeds on, which begins the chain. For example, in a marine ecosystem the food chain might be: phytoplankton to zoo plankton to fish to seal to shark. Each animal feeds on the previous link in the chain. The largest member of the ecosystem depends on the smallest primary producer.
Climate
The changing climate is an increasing threat to the world's ecosystems. According to Green Facts, virtually all of the earth's ecosystems have been changed as a result of human activity. Ecosystems depend on environmental cycles to thrive; without these cycles, the life within the ecosystems must either adapt or perish. Green Facts notes that many animal and plant species have not been adapting well and are decreasing in numbers. It also states that a quarter of the Earth's mammals are now endangered.