Welcome to Ecosystem Guide
An Ecosystem Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Basic Components Of An Ecosystem
from:The world we live in is composed of many, many different ecosystems, all interacting and playing off one another. Each of these ecosystems has parts, or components, which also interact within the ecosystem to produce the effects we observe and draw conclusions from. Although the components of ecosystems vary greatly from one place to another, in general we can categorize them to help better understand how they interrelate and what commonalities exist from one ecosystem to another.
A basic division that is made when considering the components of any ecosystem is between the living, or "biotic," parts and the non-living, or "abiotic". The amount of sunlight a particular area receives; the temperature and climate over an extended period of time; and the amount of rainfall received are all examples of abiotic components of an ecosystem. For ecosystems that exist in water, the type of water (freshwater or salt) and the strength of water current are ecosystem-specific components.
The biotic components of ecosystems can be further broken down into subcategories based on the feeding characteristics of a given animal. The most basic level of biotic components are the primary producers, or "autotrophs," which produce their own food usually using the chemical process known as photosynthesis. In a land ecosystem, these organisms would be the green plants, trees, bushes and the like; in a sea ecosystem, the primary producers are phytoplankton.
Above the level of autotrophs are the "heterotrophs," animals which feed on other animals in order to get their necessary nutrients. Within this category there can be countless divisions again, depending on which level in the food chain a particular animal preys upon for its food. However, there are four subcategories which must be present in any ecosystem, which are:
• Herbivores, which feed only on plants
• Carnivores, which feed only on other animals
• Omnivores, which feed on plants and animals, and
• Detritivores, which feed on dead things.
Now we must look briefly at how the components of ecosystems interact with and affect one another. Take, for example, a pond. The sunlight shines down into the water, and if the pond is relatively stagnant and nutrient-rich, tiny green algae will utilize the abiotic components to manufacture their own food. At the edge of the pond, the same sunlight is taken in by other plants, such as reeds and marshland plant life, to produce their food. Inside the pond, microscopic animals feed on the algae. Insects, such as water beetles and their young, will in turn feed on the microscopic animals, and become food for larger animals such as fish and birds. At the top of the chain lie the animals that only eat other animals, such as herons, which feed only on fish. The final step in the chain occurs when the animal dies, and is fed on by bacteria as part of the decomposition process.
An Ecosystem Specific links
An Ecosystem News
The Web Has Become an Ecosystem of Relevance - Business 2 Community
The Web Has Become an Ecosystem of Relevance Business 2 Community In Google's case, I have no doubt that the Ecosystem of Relevance constitutes a major part of their Master Plan – they just haven't figured out what to call it yet. [Yes, Google, you can borrow my catch phrase if you promise to attribute it to me.] ... |
The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, Version 2.0 - Ecosystem Marketplace
 Ecosystem Marketplace | The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, Version 2.0 Ecosystem Marketplace This report is a structured methodology that helps managers proactively develop strategies to manage business risks and opportunities arising from their company's dependence and impact on ecosystems. This is version 2.0 of the report, ... Re-introducing the corporate ecosystem services review, version 2.0 |
The state of Apple's ecosystem lock-in, and where we're at today - Macgasm
 Macgasm | The state of Apple's ecosystem lock-in, and where we're at today Macgasm By Alexander Hoffmann Thu, Feb 9, 2012 @ 9:38 AM Every couple of months articles crop up on the Internet calling Apple's ecosystem a “walled garden” or a “golden cage” (1, 2, 3). These articles usually try to convince the reader that Apple has lured ... |
Next-gen textbooks? It's the ecosystem, not the device - ZDNet (blog)
Next-gen textbooks? It's the ecosystem, not the device ZDNet (blog) By Christopher Dawson | February 7, 2012, 11:02pm PST Summary: I love hardware as much as the next geek, but solving our ed tech problems will require one heck of an ecosystem; hardware is a tiny piece of the puzzle. Last week, Jason Perlow and I both ... |
The LTE Device Marketplace: Ecosystem, Roadmap, Key Trends, Shipments/Market ... - Sacramento Bee
The LTE Device Marketplace: Ecosystem, Roadmap, Key Trends, Shipments/Market ... Sacramento Bee By Reportlinker NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: As of Q1 2012, forty-nine mobile network operators worldwide have launched fourth-generation (4G) Long ... |