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What Are Two Critical Dynamic Processes of an Ecosystem?

Every second of every day, there's an ongoing exchange of energy and matter between organisms and their environment. In some cases this exchange is invisible. Even when these dynamic processes can be observed, they aren't always fully understood. Nevertheless, life on earth exists because of the constant movement of energy and life-giving materials from one organism to another. Scientists attempt to study and explain these processes in simple terms, because the importance of preserving the delicate balance of ecosystems cannot be overstated.

Ecosystems
- An ecosystem is the sum of the interactions that take place between a set of organisms and their local environment. The eastern woodlands of the United States are one example. The lakes and streams, trees, birds, mammals and insects all coexist in a very precise balance. Remove one specie and that balance is upset, sometimes with calamitous results. On one level, the definition of an ecosystem is somewhat relative. A single small pond might be considered an ecosystem, as its organisms and energy contents are relatively contained. On the other hand, that same pond may be just one element of a larger grassland ecosystem that stretches across a continent.
  
  The water cycle and the energy cycle are two critical dynamic processes constantly at work in all ecosystems.
Processes in Ecosystems
- An ecosystem can be described as a network of cycles. Even though the Sahara Desert and the tropical rain forest seem utterly different, on a fundamental level all life on earth works according to the same rubric. The sun, the earth, plants, animals and soil all function as nodes in the network of an ecosystem. Life is possible because the sun provides enough warmth and energy to drive all of these complex processes. Ecosystems always lose energy, but there is forever a surplus thanks to the sun's continual supply of replenishing rays.
The Water Cycle
- All life requires water.
  
  Water is critical for all life functions. Even in the most arid deserts, living organisms need water to flourish. Heat from the sun drives evaporation of water from lakes and oceans, and also from the porous skins of plants and animals. This moisture rises into the atmosphere until it condenses into clouds. Eventually these clouds unload their contents as rain, which seeps into the ground or drains away via rivers and streams. Water in the soil is taken up in the roots of plants. Surface water is lapped up by thirsty animals, or it evaporates and recharges the atmosphere.
The Energy Cycle
- All biological energy began as sunlight.
  
  Technically speaking, energy cannot move through an ecosystem; only the byproducts of energy usage can. Energy enters all ecosystems through the sun. Plant matter converts solar energy into it own physical structure. Foraging animals consume plant matter, benefiting from the complex carbohydrates in the leafy greens, proteins and fats in the nuts, and so forth. Predators consume these herbivores, or plant-eaters, and so fuel their own life processes. Even death has a place in the energy cycle. When macroorganisms die, their bodies feed microorganisms and other "decomposers" that in turn fertilize the soil and provide a head start for new plant growth.

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