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Open and Closed Communities
Natural environments contain either open or closed communities. If all the species in a community have similar range, or boundaries, and density peaks, the community is referred to as a closed community. Open communities lack boundaries and species distribution is more random than in closed communities. Open communities are not as easily destroyed as closed communities because of the lack of boundaries. A lake is an example of a closed community and the forest surrounding the lake would be an open community. While the species in the lake cannot migrate, the species within the forests can spread beyond the forests.
Classification Of Communities
There are two main classification categories of ecosystem communities, aquatic and terrestrial. These two classifications have sub-classifications called biomes. A biome is a large group which contains many communities with basic similarities. The aquatic classification has two biomes, fresh water and marine. The terrestrial classification has six biomes, tropical forests, temperate forests, boreal forests (the largest terrestrial biome), desert, grassland, and tundra. There are many smaller community groups within biomes. The distribution of the communities are determined by non-biological aspects of the environment, such as climate and water.
Ecosystems In Communities
The community ecosystem is comprised of all elements of the habitat. Biotic components are the animals, plants and microscopic organisms in the habitat. Abiotic elements are the non-organic aspects of the environment, such as soil, light, water, and temperature. The balance of the biotic community is interdependent on all other biotic and abiotic aspects of the habitat. When one element changes, it can cause change throughout the whole community, and in some cases can destroy it. For instance, if a coyote is taken out of its habitat, rabbits will increase in population and strip forms of vegetation from the habitat. A cooling climate may kill food plants and cause a reaction in species that eat it.
Saving Communities
Human activity is having a major impact on the survival of ecosystem communities. Studies are being conducted to allow scientists to understand how communities work, what is needed to restore depleted and dying communities and how humans can survive with as little negative impact on ecosystem communities as possible. They have found that humans are just one part of these complex communities and our own survival also will be determined by the health of the ecosystem communities of which we are members.