Introduction
All around us our natural environment is constantly changing. Changes that happen naturally, without people making them happen, are normal and are part of how the Earth works. For example, when the seasons change from summer to autumn, it is natural for some trees to lose their leaves. Other natural conditions can be more extreme and are less predictable, like a hurricane storm or a tidal wave.
So that we can understand how the natural environment works, we need to look more closely at how it functions. By doing this, we can better predict when big events like hurricanes are likely to happen and as humans, we can learn how best to look after the Earth.
Ecosystems are communities of interacting organisms (plants and animals) and the physical environment in which they live. They are the combination and interaction of the plants, animals, minerals, and people in any given area of the Earth. They can range in scale from a wide geographical area such as the Sahara Desert to something as small as a puddle. Different ecosystems are often separated by geographical barriers, like mountains or oceans, or are isolated otherwise like rivers or lakes. As these borders are almost never rigid, ecosystems tend to blend into each other. As a result, the Earth can be seen as a single ecosystem, or a river can be divided into several ecosystems, depending on the scale used.
The study of ecosystems helps us to gather information about natural changes and learn how to predict them as well as considering how the actions of humans can harm or protect our environment.
Ecosystems explain the way in which living organisms like animals and plants (biotic factors) live together with the non-living environment, the soil and climate (abiotic factors).
Abiotic factors are elements of an ecosystem that are non-living but still have an affect on the ecosystem. Temperature, rainfall, soil type, relief and nutrients are all examples of abiotic factors.
Biotic factors are the living elements of an ecosystem, i.e. animals and plants. All biotic
factors require energy to survive.