An ecosystem includes all the communities that live in an area, as well as the abiotic factors in the environment. Ecosystems therefore include the water, soil, and climate in the area. A healthy ecosystem includes a wide variety of species in its community. The variety of species in an ecosystem is known as biodiversity.
The organisms of most ecosystems obtain foods in three basic ways: producing, consuming and decomposing.
Producers are those organisms that make their own food from inorganic molecules and solar energy. Plants are the most important producers in land ecosystem. In an aquatic ecosystem, photosynthetic protists (Free-living or colonial organisms with diverse nutritional and reproductive modes) are the most important producers. Nearly all the energy entering the biosphere comes from the sun through photosynthesis.
Consumers are those organisms that can not make their own food and use the food prepared by the producers. All animals are consumers, as are fungi and many protists and bacteria. Consumers obtain energy by ingesting other organisms.
Bacteria and fungi that consume the bodies of dead organisms and other organic wastes are called decomposers. They break down a variety of dead organic matter, from the fallen leaves of tree to the bodies of herbivores and carnivores. Decomposers are crucial to ecosystem because they recycle nutrient from the organisms back into the environment.
The organisms of most ecosystems obtain foods in three basic ways: producing, consuming and decomposing.
Producers are those organisms that make their own food from inorganic molecules and solar energy. Plants are the most important producers in land ecosystem. In an aquatic ecosystem, photosynthetic protists (Free-living or colonial organisms with diverse nutritional and reproductive modes) are the most important producers. Nearly all the energy entering the biosphere comes from the sun through photosynthesis.
Consumers are those organisms that can not make their own food and use the food prepared by the producers. All animals are consumers, as are fungi and many protists and bacteria. Consumers obtain energy by ingesting other organisms.
Bacteria and fungi that consume the bodies of dead organisms and other organic wastes are called decomposers. They break down a variety of dead organic matter, from the fallen leaves of tree to the bodies of herbivores and carnivores. Decomposers are crucial to ecosystem because they recycle nutrient from the organisms back into the environment.
