Welcome to Ecosystem Guide
Plant Ecosystem Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
An Ecosystem is a functioning community of plant and animal life and their surrounding environment.
from:An ecosystem relates to the specific environment that contains a specific diversity of plant and animal life. The ecosystem must include the living and non living influences, from flora, fauna and fungi to the influences of their surroundings. Things such as humidity, elevation, salinity, and drainage will impact on the conditions of the living organisms right down to bacteria.
The study of an individual ecosystem will involve the interaction between all the species that inhabit the area, even if they only move through the area on a seasonal basis. The physiognomic-ecological classification system has been implemented to identify ecosystems in order to help protect them. The classification system takes into account all the living organisms and how they interact with the non living organisms and the overall environmental conditions the ecosystem exists within.
The living organisms in an ecosystem will include the larger animals, mammals, insects, plants, and fungi right through to the smallest bacteria and moulds. The environment and non living aspect of an ecosystem include the landscape, from the formation and types of rocks, soils, underlying water table, climate, elevation, exposure and location.
In the study of an ecosystem the number and condition of the living organisms will help in forming a classification for the type of ecosystem. The location of the landscape will also effect the ecosystems classification. There are many types of ecosystem. A desert landscape with its flora and fauna, the marine environment and the mountain landscape all are individual ecosystems. Human interaction will effect an ecosystem and must be taken into account in the protection of any fragile ecosystem.
As with any environmental factors effecting life on earth, studies of any given ecosystem will include the life cycle of the trees, grasses, fungi and moulds. Each living species within the ecosystem must be taken into account. To study an ecosystem the interaction between species and their environment and the unique conditions must be explored. Every ecosystem has a climate, culture, environmental impact and symbiotic relationship between living and non living organisms. It is this relationship and the number and diversity of the life forms involved that give an ecosystem its unique value in our world.
An ecosystem exists within its own parameters but outside influence can impact upon the species and landforms involved. Changing climate conditions, human encroachment, flood famine and fire can all alter a specific ecosystems balance and sustainability.
An ecosystem may vary from one side of a mountain to the other, from one part of a stream to another. Any change in soil type, drainage, salinity or even human encroachment can change the whole ecosystem. They are delicate and balanced in nature, and many will not stand the impact of change.
Plant Ecosystem News
Kauai Birds, Picture-Wing, Plants Listed as Endangered - Environment News Service
 MiamiHerald.com | Kauai Birds, Picture-Wing, Plants Listed as Endangered Environment News Service "The ecosystem-based approach that our scientists used to make this decision represents an efficient and innovative model for conserving imperiled species ... 48 Hawaii-only species given endangered listing |
2 birds, 45 plants, 1 insect on Kauai make endangered list - Honolulu Advertiser
2 birds, 45 plants, 1 insect on Kauai make endangered list Honolulu Advertiser Similar ecosystem-based plans will be unfurled for O'ahu later this year for 23 species, Foote said. Adding species for Maui County's four islands and the ... |
Resurrecting a Failed Industry Obama and Nuclear Power - CounterPunch
Resurrecting a Failed Industry Obama and Nuclear Power CounterPunch In 2006 Obama took up the cause of Illinois residents who were angry with Exelon, the nation's largest nuclear power plant operator, for not having ... |
Cheetah activist, Duke professor get Tyler Prize - Los Angeles Times (blog)
Cheetah activist, Duke professor get Tyler Prize Los Angeles Times (blog) Two conservationists who focus on ecosystem function and restoration were granted the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement from the ... Namibia: Marker and Pimm to Share 2010 Tyler Prize |
Fish and Game Q&A: Can I use ground Yucca plant roots to fish? - Los Angeles Times (blog)
Fish and Game Q&A: Can I use ground Yucca plant roots to fish? Los Angeles Times (blog) (David H.) A: Rattlesnakes occur naturally in the ecosystem and are important predators that help to effectively contain or reduce excess rodent populations ... |
Hermann Park sees debut of a grass-roots effort - Houston Chronicle
Hermann Park sees debut of a grass-roots effort Houston Chronicle ... humans introduced plants from far reaches of the world and how they have changed the landscape and in some cases taken over and changed the ecosystem. ... |
What effects will climate change have on wildlife? - ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)
What effects will climate change have on wildlife? ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) ... plant and animal phenology, wildlife host-pathogen interactions, and disease patterns in wildlife. Other factors of concern, such as ecosystem ... |