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An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by organisms in interaction with their environment. [2]: 458 The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors.
An example of ecological diversity on a global scale would be the variation in ecosystems, such as deserts, forests, grasslands, wetlands and oceans. Ecological diversity is the largest scale of biodiversity, and within each ecosystem, there is a great deal of both species and genetic diversity. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Ecosystems are dynamically interacting systems of organisms, the communities they make up, and the non-living components of their environment. Ecosystem processes, such as primary production , nutrient cycling , and niche construction , regulate the flux of energy and matter through an environment.
Many ecosystems that are, or have been, inhabited or influenced by activities of people may still be considered "wild". This way of looking at wilderness includes areas within which natural processes operate without very noticeable human interference. Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild ...
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms — aquatic life —that are dependent on each other and on their environment.
Ecosystem services are ecologically mediated functional processes essential to sustaining healthy human societies. [6] Water provision and filtration, production of biomass in forestry, agriculture, and fisheries, and removal of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO 2) from the atmosphere are examples of ecosystem services essential to public health and economic opportunity.
All non-living components of an ecosystem, such as atmospheric conditions and water resources, are called abiotic components. [3] Factors ... For example, there is a ...
C.G. Jones, J.H. Lawton and M. Shachak, Positive and negative effects of organisms as physical ecosystem engineers, Ecology 78 (1997), 1946–1957. V. Vasasa, F. Jordan. Topological keystone species in ecological interaction networks: Considering link quality and non-trophic effects. Ecological Modelling 196 ( 2006 ) 365–378.