Ecosystems can be extremely huge or extremely small. Tide pools, which are ponds left by the ocean as the tide recedes, are entire, miniature ecosystems. Tide pools contain seaweed, a type of algae that produces food through photosynthesis. Seaweed is eaten by herbivores such as abalone. Carnivores like sea stars devour other species in the tide pool like clams and mussels. Tide pools are affected by changes in the ocean’s water level. When the tide is in and the pool is full, some species, such as seaweed, thrive in an aquatic environment. Hermit crabs, for example, cannot live underwater and therefore rely on the shallow pools left by low tides. As a result, the biotic components of the ecosystem are dependent on abiotic forces.
FORMATION OF ECOSYSTEM
Biological and abiotic (nonliving) components have come together in ecosystems to form a microcosm of existence. Ecosystems are geologic regions where different contributors have come together, such as weather, landscape, plants, animals, and other biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors. In other words, they are zones of interaction between different species and abiotic forces. Ecosystems are formed when the living factors in an area interact with one another as well as with other non-living factors in the surrounding area. There is an interdependence between these diverse parts, and greater diversity of interactions increases the chances of an ecosystem surviving environmental pressures applied to it. An ecosystem can range in size from as tiny as a drop of water to as huge as an entire ocean.
The production of organic matter from inorganic carbon sources is referred to as primary production. This is accomplished primarily by photosynthesis. The energy integrated into the earth’s atmosphere via this process sustains life on the planet, while the carbon incorporated into the atmosphere contributes to the majority of organic matter found in living and dead biomass, soil carbon, and fossil fuels. It also serves as a catalyst for the carbon cycle, which has an impact on global climate through the greenhouse effect.
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants catch energy from light and utilise it to mix carbon dioxide and water to make carbohydrates and oxygen in the form of sugars and oxygen. Gross primary production refers to the total amount of photosynthesis carried out by all of the plants in an ecosystem (GPP) . Plants respire approximately half of the gross primary productivity (GPP) in order to produce the energy necessary for their development and upkeep. In economic terms, net primary production refers to the portion of gross primary production (GPP) that is not consumed by respiration (NPP) . A variety of environmental conditions contribute to the limitation of total photosynthesis. Light availability, leaf area available for photosynthesis (shading by other plants is one of the most significant limitations to photosynthesis), the rate at which carbon dioxide can be supplied to chloroplasts to support photosynthesis, the availability of water, and the availability of temperatures suitable for carrying out photosynthesis are all factors to consider.
Through photosynthesis, energy and carbon are introduced into ecosystems, where they are absorbed into living tissue, transported to other species that feed on the live and dead plant materials, and finally expelled through respiration to the environment. In plant tissues (net primary production), carbon and energy are either devoured by animals while the plant is alive or remain unbeaten after the plant tissue dies and produces detritus (debris). Throughout terrestrial ecosystems, decomposers are responsible for breaking down the great bulk of the net primary production that occurs. Most of the remainder is consumed by animals while they are still living, and the remainder is recycled into the plant-based trophic chain. Upon the death of plants and animals, the organic stuff contained within them is released into the detritus-based trophic system to be recycled.The total amount of respiration produced by all living species (plants, animals, and decomposers) in an ecosystem is referred to as ecosystem respiration.
FORMATION OF MARINE ECOSYSTEM
The Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago, according to scientists. As the Earth cooled, water in the atmosphere condensed, causing heavy rains to deluge the planet and fill its huge basins, resulting in the formation of seas. It was the inorganic elements hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water that were present in the primordial atmosphere and oceans. When sparked by electrical discharges from lightning, it is believed that these components came together to form the first organic compounds on the planet. Cyanobacteria are among the earliest known species, dating back millions of years (formerly referred to as blue-green algae). Stromatolites, which are marine sediments from the Precambrian period that are around 3 billion years old, have been discovered in Australia as evidence of these early photosynthetic prokaryotes. Many different types of bacteria, algae, protozoa, and primitive metazoa evolved during the Precambrian period (about 4.6 billion to 542 million years ago) to exploit the early marine habitats on the planet. Although modern ocean life did not evolve until much later, many different types of bacteria, algae, protozoa, and primitive metazoa evolved during the Precambrian period (about 4.6 billion to 542 million years ago). During the Cambrian Period (about 542 million to 488 million years ago), there was a significant increase in the number of organisms in the waters. Marine sediments from this time period contain fossils of familiar species such as cnidaria (e.g., jellyfish), echinoderms (e.g., feather stars), progenitors of the fishes (e.g., the protochordate Pikaia from the Burgess Shale of Canada), and other vertebrates. The Ordovician Period is characterised by the discovery of the first fossil fishes in strata (about 488 million to 444 million years ago). Changes in the physical conditions of the ocean that are thought to have occurred during the Precambrian period—such as an increase in the concentration of oxygen in seawater and a buildup of the ozone layer, which reduced harmful ultraviolet radiation—could have facilitated the expansion and dispersal of living things, according to some theories.
CONCLUSION
From the following article we can conclude that Ecosystems can be huge or little. Ocean-created tidal pools are mini-ecosystems. Tide pools contain seaweed, an algae that feeds via photosynthesis. Fish and abalone consume seaweed. Sea stars are carnivores that devour clams and mussels. Tide pools change with the ocean’s level. Some species, like seaweed, flourish in water, especially when the pool is full. Hermit crabs, for example, cannot live underwater and rely on the shallow pools left by low tides. Thus, biotic components of an ecosystem rely on abiotic forces.