Factors That Influence Ecosystems
An ecosystem consists of the living organisms and non-living processes within a given area. The living components are plants, animals, and microorganisms. The non-living components are air, water, rocks, soil, and weather. These components act and interact on each other in a constant state of energy flow. How well these elements are balanced to sustain the life within an ecosystem depends on many factors.
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic or non-living factors of an ecosystem include light, temperature, chemical processes, water, and atmosphere. The Sun is central to the system of interconnected processes that sustain life on the planet. Temperature either helps or inhibits the growth of microorganisms, plant life, animals, and geological forces. Chemical processes produce the chains of energy that flow from one system to another. Water sustains even the most elemental of living matter and transforms much of the non-living environment that living things inhabit. Atmosphere encompasses it all, providing the guiding system under which all these factors interact. Weather can have a significant impact on living species and the environments they inhabit.
Biotic Factors
Biotic, living factors include the kinds of organisms inhabiting an area and how they interact with each to survive. The population of each individual species has a direct effect on the other species in the ecosystem. Competition for resources is another factor that allows bigger, stronger species to dominate an ecosystem. Territorialism, the need for certain kinds and sizes of territory, can determine whether a species survives or disappears. Some species within an ecosystem may have a predator-prey relationship, and others may derive benefit from living in close proximity and cooperation with other species in a kind of symbiosis or mutualism that allows both species to flourish. How all these things are balanced or how they change are important factors in terms of what happens within an ecosystem.
Human Factors
Humanity, as part of this complex system of processes and interdependencies, is unique, in that it can observe consequences and change behaviors. Factors such as pollution can be examined, measured, and changed to limit destructive effects on the environment. Factors like overpopulation, with its increased competition for resources that can cause famine and war, can be limited with biotechnologies and cultural constraints. Environmental destruction from industry can be repaired, and new methods of mining and building can be invented. The devastation from war can be modified and limited by military technology and medical science. How smartly or recklessly people use land, water, soil, and energy in sustaining their lives is a significant factor for the entire ecosystem in which they live.
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