Living things are all around us, but have you ever wondered how these living things interact with the other living things and environment around them? These interactions are what make up ecosystems. This blog post discusses how they work and what changes them.
Ever heard of the phrase “What goes around comes around?” Well, whether you believe it or not, this has real life applications because Earth is a series of connected ecosystems! Each ecosystem is made up of two types of elements: biotic and abiotic factors. We tend to notice and care about the biotic factors, or the organisms in the system. However, one must not ignore the abiotic factors, or the nonliving parts of the ecosystem, as they are just as important to making the ecosystem function! For example, you may notice the cute little squirrel in the park, but the soil around it is just as important, since its nutrients affect the quality of the nuts it eats!
What changes ecosystems? Many different factors and events can change them. Ecosystems can change in a jiffy, or slowly over a long time. Natural disasters, for example, can change an ecosystem. Events like fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes all have the ability to change an ecosystem. When a natural disaster strikes, the land and organism populations change. Ecosystems can also be changed by human activity. If humans build something, it may take up the space that was originally used in an ecosystem. If they take resources from an environment, or pollute it with harmful resources, the environment will have to change to survive with the new situation. Sometimes both humans and natural disasters work together to change an ecosystem. For example, if a tsunami were to strike, it would disrupt the ocean ecosystem. When it recedes back to the ocean after hitting land, the tsunami would bring with it part of the buildings that humans have made into the ocean, polluting the ecosystem. Together, the tsunami and human activity changed the ocean ecosystem.
Ok fine, we know we initially preached to pay more attention to the abiotic factors and then focused on them, but do not fret! We will cover some changes made by biotic factors as well. Murder hornets, ice plants, and horses in North America (wait, what?) have all changed the environments they have been introduced to. In fact, they have changed them so much that we give them the offensive title of invasive species. An invasive species is one that does not natively belong to a particular area and can harm that environment when it is introduced. How exactly do they harm the ecosystems they are introduced to? Well, it is different for every species, but we can talk about the surprising example from earlier: horses in North America! They didn't exist on the continent before Europeans brought them over, and when left to their own devices, they can eat large patches of grass without any resistance! Who knew?
Now you know all about ecosystems and how they can be changed. You may be asking, is there a most important part of the ecosystem? There is: the keystone species. If you want to know more about ecosystems and keystone species, look out for a post on this very topic!
Post By: Roshni P. M. and Hannah W.
Photo Credits: Anne Nygård, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/MAbN_FryfvU
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