Mangampo, Hanna Mae I.

BCS11

Assignment in Environmental Science:

1. What is an ecosystem?
2. Give the importance of studying the ecosystem.
3. Enumerate and discuss briefly the importance of the different Abiotic components of an
ecosystem (e.g. temperature, water, moisture, and soil).

According to Khan Academy, an ecosystem consists of a community of organisms

together with their physical environment. Ecosystems can be of different sizes and can be marine,
aquatic, or terrestrial. Broad categories of terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes.
An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given
area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun,
soil, climate, atmosphere). Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine
the health of the entire earth system.
In ecosystems, both matter and energy are conserved. Energy flows through the
system—usually from light to heat—while matter is recycled. Ecosystems with higher biodiversity
tend to be more stable with greater resistance and resilience in the face of disturbances,
disruptive events.

The living parts of an ecosystem are called biotic factors while the environmental factors
that they interact with are called abiotic factors. Because living things both respond to and are
influenced by their environment, it is important to study both factors together to get a full picture.
The interactions going on are all linked, and they can get very complex. Anything that impacts on
one aspect of the ecosystem will, in turn, impact on others. Unfortunately, humans often do things
that result in disrupting an ecosystem, and even though their actions may seem small, they can
have large effects. For example, the over-fishing of sharks can have catastrophic effects for reef
ecosystems. By removing the top-level predator, the food it normally eats thrives and then over-
populates. This disrupts the whole reef ecosystem, and if balance is not restored, the ecosystem
can collapse. This means it is important for humans to consider the consequences of their actions
and do their best to change their behaviors when problems are identified.

Again, Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of the environment that can often have a
major influence on living organisms. Abiotic factors include water, sunlight, oxygen, soil and
temperature.
Water (H2O) is a very important abiotic factor – it is
often said that “water is life.” All living organisms needs water.
Plants must have water to grow. Even plants that live in the
desert need a little bit of water to grow. Without water, animals
become weak and confused, and they can die if they do not
rehydrate. Think of how you feel after you take a long run. Do
you feel thirsty? This is your body signaling to you that you
must rehydrate.

By Jon Sullivan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 Soil is often considered an abiotic factor since it is mostly made up
of small particles of rock (sand and clay) mixed with decomposed plants
and animals. Plants use their roots to get water and nutrients from the soil.
Soils are different from place to place – this can be a big factor in which
plants and animals live in a certain area.

Credit: USDA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Temperature is an abiotic factor that is strongly

influenced by sunlight. Temperature plays an important role
for animals that cannot regulate their own body temperature,
such as reptiles. Unlike humans, whose normal body
temperature is usually around 98.6F, reptiles (such as snakes
and lizards) cannot maintain a constant body temperature.
Reptiles are usually found in warm regions around the planet.
To regulate their body temperatures, reptiles will sun
themselves on rocks, which absorb heat from sunlight and
then radiate heat back into the environment.

Credit: Don from USA (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0],

via Wikimedia Commons

Moisture
 All organisms need water – Needed for hydrolysis
 Amount of moisture is not as important as distribution
 Relative humidity has a large impact
 3 main plant types:
Hydrophytes
– high moisture adaptations
– Water plants, tropical plants
Xerophytes
– Dry
– Cacti, lichens, evergreens
Mesophytes
– Medium moisture
– Herbs, shrubs, trees