Artificial ecosystems are a condition for life or a harbinger of death. Examples of ecosystems Example of a natural ecosystem forest field garden

The grouping of living beings is not a chaotic collection, but a complex system that is the result of a long process of evolution. are not grouped randomly, but only according to the laws of common, interconnected existence in certain environmental conditions.

Natural groups in which plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms and their habitats unite to live together are called an ecological system or ecosystem.

For example, a mixed forest can be considered a natural ecosystem because its components (plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms) coexist in a certain environment and are closely related to each other. If you look at the plant groupings of a mixed forest, it becomes noticeable that the plants have different heights. This is due to their different requirements for living conditions. So, some plants need more light. These are tall trees (oaks, ash trees). Other trees require less light (maples, lindens, birches). Under them are bushes that do not require light (hazel, rose hips, buckthorn). The lowest level is formed by herbaceous plants (lilies of the valley, snowdrops, lungworts), mosses, which are content with very little sunlight. This placement of plants depending on the requirements for living conditions is called tiering.

A prerequisite for the existence of any ecosystem is the provision of nutrients to all organisms that form it.

The basis of ecosystems is plants, because they create organic substances from inorganic ones, i.e. become a food source for animals. Most insects, as well as herbivores and rodents, feed on plants. Insects serve as food for birds, which in turn feed on birds of prey and animals. A strong chain is formed, based on food connections.

A food chain is a sequence of organisms in which each previous representative is food for the next. For example, plants are eaten by a hare that is hunted by a wolf; plant leaves are eaten by the caterpillar, which feeds on tits and others.

Ecosystems of our area: steppe, fresh water

The steppe is a flat area covered with herbaceous plants. Single trees are occasionally found. Summer in the steppe is dry. The favorable time of year for steppe plants is spring, when there is enough moisture in the soil. It is at this time that most flowering plants bloom: bells, sage, poppies. Drought-resistant perennial grasses are well adapted to dry summer conditions: wheatgrass, bluegrass, wormwood, feather grass, and tumbleweed.

A large number of herbaceous plants provide food for rodents. In the steppe you can find gophers, field mice, mole rats, and marmots. There are also many birds in the steppe: larks, quails, falcons. Predators live in the steppe, for example, the corsac fox. She settles in burrows and hunts rodents and birds. Most of them hide in burrows or other hiding places in hot weather, and go in search of food at night.

An equally complex and multifaceted natural ecosystem of our area is the lake. An important factor for the inhabitants of the lake ecosystem is light. Reeds and cattails grow along the shore. They have well-developed roots, strong stems and leaves, which store. Among their thickets, frogs, dragonflies, worms and other animals hide and find food. Further from the shore, yellow pitchers and white water lilies grow. There is a lot of algae in the lake at different depths. They are important: they form organic substances (food for animals), absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, that is, they ensure the respiration of living beings.

The fauna of the lake is also diverse. In the depth of the reservoir there are many single-celled animals on which small crustaceans (daphnia and cyclops) feed. The common name for these inhabitants is plankton. Plankton serves as food for fish. They live at the bottom (gills, toothless ones). They pass water through themselves, purifying it. Also, many different insects live on the surface of the lake or along its shores.

Among the lake's fish there are herbivores (crucian carp, bream, rudd) and predators (perch, pike). The streamlined shape and scales covering the body of the fish allow them to move quickly. The striped coloration of predatory fish helps them camouflage among aquatic plants.

Human use of ecosystems. Ecosystem protection

Any ecosystem is capable of self-regulation, thanks to the connections between the organisms that coexist in it. But there are fewer and fewer natural ecosystems left, because people are changing them through their activities.

Each group of organisms was formed over thousands of years. The organisms that were part of it created each other the necessary conditions for existence. Therefore, each system lives as a single organism. It is bad when a person interferes with such a group and disrupts established ties. This can lead to the death of ecosystems. A person must take this into account in his practical activities.

To preserve natural ecosystems, protected areas are created - nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, etc. For example, the Altai Nature Reserve, famous far beyond the borders of Russia.

Rare and endangered species of animals and plants are included in the Red Book. For example, it includes spring adonis, white water lily, European marigold, swallowtail butterfly, and mushroom newt.

Nature conservation is the business of every person. Your respectful behavior in the natural environment and careful attitude towards it is also a contribution to the common cause.

Artificial ecosystems

For a long time, people have influenced natural ecosystems, changing them: they plowed up meadows and steppes, cut down forests, drained swamps, and irrigated arid areas. In their places, fields, vegetable gardens, orchards, forest belts, parks and other groups necessary for growing cultivated plants appeared. All these systems are called artificial ecosystems because they were created by human efforts.

Artificial ecosystems are ecosystems that are created, maintained and controlled by humans for their own benefit.

Artificial ecosystems consist of producer plants, consumer animals, and soil-destroying animals. The main consumer of products in artificial ecosystems is man, therefore it is he who determines the composition of these systems and maintains its constancy. For example, an artificial ecosystem of a field is represented by producer plants (wheat is the main crop, cornflower, birch are weeds), consumers (birds, mice, insects, but the main consumer is humans), and destroyers (soil animals). Plant products are collected and removed from the field. That is, those substances that plants absorbed from the soil for growth and development do not return back, as in natural ecosystems. To maintain soil fertility, a person must apply fertilizers.

An artificial ecosystem is represented by the same groups of organisms as a natural one. But the diversity of plants and animals in it is regulated by humans. In natural ecosystems there is no such thing as pests: all living beings benefit the system as a whole and maintain its balance. Artificial ecosystems are created to grow certain plants, so all creatures that interfere with their development are considered pests and destroyed.

Purpose of artificial ecosystems:

Growing food (fields, vegetable gardens, greenhouses).
Soil protection (forest belts).
Improvement of air in the city, reduction of noise levels (trees on streets with heavy vehicle traffic).
Decoration of the city, recreation areas (squares, parks, flower beds).
Study of animals and plants (zoological and botanical gardens).

Priming. Soil composition

Soil is a fertile layer of earth on which plants grow. Soil is a natural mixture because its components can be separated from each other. Due to these compositional features, the soil is characterized by the ability to pass air and water.

The composition of the soil includes: sand, clay, air, water, organic and mineral substances. The composition of the soil creates conditions for plant nutrition. Minerals necessary for plant growth dissolve in water. In the soil, their reserves are replenished thanks to the activity of animals, bacteria and fungi, which dissolve plant and animal residues. This is how living organisms form humus, or humus, on which the most important property of the soil—fertility—depends.

Soil diversity

The name of the soil often corresponds to its color. For example, chernozems are almost black in color. Chernozems formed in the steppes, where there are many herbaceous plants. The above-ground parts of these plants die off annually, and their remains are converted into humus by insects, worms and soil bacteria. This soil contains the largest amount of humus and forms a layer up to 150 cm thick. Gray forest soils formed where forests used to be. They contain less humus and therefore have a lighter color. Their fertile layer reaches 100 cm.

The greatest wealth of the south of Russia is black soil. It is these soils that provide high yields of agricultural crops, the most important of which are grains: wheat, rye and others.

Chernozems and gray forest soils consist of small lumps, so they allow water and air to pass through well, creating favorable conditions for the development of plants. These types of soils are the most common in the southern regions of Russia.

Soil fertility and ways to increase it. Concept of fertilizers

To ensure that soil fertility does not decrease, it is necessary to add those substances that were removed by plants. For this purpose, fertilizers are added to the soil.

Soil fertility is its ability to provide nutrients to plants.

Fertilizers are substances that are specifically added to the soil to increase its fertility. Fertilizers are divided into organic and mineral.

Organic fertilizers include manure, bird droppings, and peat. In the soil, under the influence of bacteria, they turn into humus. Organic fertilizers improve the structure of the soil, promote the accumulation of humus, water, and air in it. The impact on the soil is carried out periodically over several years (there is no need to apply fertilizers annually).

Mineral fertilizers are made from natural minerals at special enterprises. The main mineral fertilizers are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Their name corresponds to the name of the chemical that the plant is provided with. Mineral fertilizers are added to the soil at different times of the year: nitrogen and potassium fertilizers dissolve quickly, so they are applied in the spring, phosphorus fertilizers dissolve more slowly - they are applied in the fall. It is important to follow the norms for applying certain fertilizers. Excessive amounts of them accumulate in plants, and this poses a threat to human health.

The alternation of crops of different plants in one area is called crop rotation. This measure also makes it possible to preserve soil fertility for a long time.

Artificial ecosystems: field, garden. Caring for them

Plants that a person specifically grows to obtain certain products from them are called cultivated.

Cultivated areas of land sown with crops are called fields. A field is an artificial ecosystem. Grain crops (wheat, rye, corn, buckwheat and others), as well as vegetables (potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, tomatoes, etc.) are grown in the fields.

All cultivated plants are the result of the painstaking work of many people. After all, it was scientists who bred thousands of varieties of cultivated plants. A variety is a human-created collection of certain plants that have the characteristics necessary for humans.

Plants also grow on the field that people do not specifically grow, but they appear among the crops of cultivated plants. Such plants are called weeds. Common field weeds are birch, sow thistle, wheatgrass, and acorn grass.

In addition to weeds, some animals harm plants. For example, insects and mites. They feed on plants and thereby reduce crop yields.

To obtain high yields, a person must take care of the field: timely tillage, destroy weeds, fight pests of cultivated plants, and apply fertilizers. The existence of the field ecosystem depends on human economic activity.

Another extremely common artificial ecosystem is the garden. A garden is the planting of trees and shrubs that provide people with edible fruits. The most common garden plants are apple trees, cherries, pears, and plums. Next to the trees you can find berry bushes: currants, raspberries, gooseberries, etc.

There are many insects and birds in the garden. Some insects are necessary for plants because they pollinate flowers, which helps increase garden productivity. But most insects are pests that damage various parts of plants. For example, leaf rollers damage fruits, leaves, buds of trees and shrubs, codling moths damage fruits and shoots, scale insects damage fruits and tree bark, beetles damage roots and leaves. Birds that live in the garden are beneficial by destroying a large number of pests. These are the sparrows, titmice, and starlings that are so familiar to us.

The garden needs constant care. From early spring to late autumn, they prune dry, damaged and excess branches, bleach tree trunks with lime mortar, feed plants with fertilizers, loosen the soil, remove leaves, cover tree trunks, especially young ones, with protective compounds so that their bark is not damaged by hares.

So, a garden and a field are complex artificial ecosystems where relationships between all components are established and food chains exist. The harmonious and productive functioning of field and garden ecosystems depends entirely on humans.

The importance of artificial ecosystems in human life

In the life of a modern city, green construction is very important, since plant groups are one of its main components and the only representatives of the natural environment. Green spaces are needed primarily as a means to create the most favorable conditions for human life in places polluted by industrial enterprises. Gardens, parks and public gardens are creations of nature and art, most of which are designed to bring a sense of peace to the turbulent and noisy life of a modern city.

To create a plant complex in a city means to build up part of its territory: squares, streets, avenues. Therefore, the process of creating plantings in the city is called green construction. This task is entrusted to workers of urban greening farms.

The task of green building is to show the beauty of plants, to find a suitable place for them among buildings, creating an optimal combination with architectural structures, placing them in the most favorable living conditions.

It is also important to take into account the “professions” of plants in urban conditions. Everyone knows that plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. But this is not their only purpose. Plants such as lilac, for example, retain dust better than other plants. Coniferous plants release substances into the air that destroy pathogenic bacteria. And bird cherry secretes substances that repel flies and mosquitoes. Poplars, maples, lindens, oaks and some other plants are better adapted to life in smoky urban air. In addition, plantings humidify the air and reduce noise from machines and mechanisms.

Decorative leaves, beautiful flowers and a pleasant aroma provide aesthetic pleasure. It has long been known about the positive, healing effects of the sounds of nature on humans: the singing of birds in parks and forests, the soothing murmur of streams, the soft rustling of leaves.

The importance of artificial ecosystems

Growing food and raw materials for the food and light industry.
Air humidification.
Securing river banks.
Air cleaning.
Research work with plants and animals.
Relaxation and aesthetic pleasure.

So, plants are man’s constant companions, the source of his strength and health. Green spaces purify the air, reduce noise levels, and the aromas and colors of flowers relieve nervous tension. They also provide raw materials for the food and light industries. To maintain the vital activity of artificial ecosystems, it is necessary to constantly take care of them.

Steppe, deciduous forest, swamp, aquarium, ocean, field - any item from this list can be considered an example of an ecosystem. In our article we will reveal the essence of this concept and consider its components.

Ecological communities

Ecology is a science that studies all facets of the relationships between living organisms in nature. Therefore, the subject of its study is not the individual and the conditions of its existence. Ecology examines the nature, result and productivity of their interaction. Thus, the totality of populations determines the functioning features of a biocenosis, which includes a number of biological species.

But under natural conditions, populations interact not only with each other, but also with a variety of environmental conditions. Such an ecological community is called an ecosystem. The term biogeocenosis is also used to denote this concept. Both a miniature aquarium and the vast taiga are an example of an ecosystem.

Ecosystem: definition of the concept

As you can see, ecosystem is a fairly broad concept. From a scientific point of view, this community is a combination of elements of living nature and the abiotic environment. Consider something like the steppe. This is an open grassy area with plants and animals that have adapted to the conditions of cold, little snow winters and hot, dry summers. In the course of adaptation to life in the steppe, they developed a number of adaptation mechanisms.

Thus, numerous rodents make underground passages in which they store grain reserves. Some steppe plants have a shoot modification called a bulb. It is typical for tulips, crocuses, and snowdrops. Within two weeks, while there is enough moisture in the spring, their shoots have time to grow and bloom. And they survive the unfavorable period underground, feeding on previously stored nutrients and water from the fleshy bulb.

Cereal plants have another underground modification of the shoot - the rhizome. Its elongated internodes also store substances. Examples of steppe cereals are bromegrass, bluegrass, cocksfoot, fescue, and bentgrass. Another feature is the narrow leaves, which prevent excess evaporation.

Ecosystem classification

As is known, the boundary of an ecosystem is determined by a phytocenosis - a plant community. This feature is also used to classify these communities. Thus, a forest is a natural ecosystem, examples of which are very diverse: oak, aspen, tropical, birch, fir, linden, hornbeam.

Another classification is based on zonal or climatic characteristics. Such an example of an ecosystem is a shelf or sea coast community, rocky or sandy deserts, floodplain or subalpine meadows. The totality of such communities of various types makes up the global shell of our planet - the biosphere.

Natural ecosystem: examples

There are also natural and artificial biogeocenoses. Communities of the first type function without human intervention. A natural living ecosystem, examples of which are quite numerous, has a cyclical structure. This means that plants are returned to the system of circulation of matter and energy. And this despite the fact that it necessarily passes through a variety of food chains.

Agrobiocenoses

Using natural resources, man has created numerous artificial ecosystems. Examples of such communities are agrobiocenoses. These include fields, vegetable gardens, orchards, pastures, greenhouses, and forest plantations. Agrocenoses are created to obtain agricultural products. They contain the same elements of food chains as the natural ecosystem.

Producers in agrocenoses are both cultivated and weed plants. Rodents, predators, insects, birds are consumers, or consumers of organic matter. Bacteria and fungi represent a group of decomposers. A distinctive feature of agrobiocenoses is the mandatory participation of humans, who are a necessary link in the trophic chain and create conditions for the productivity of the artificial ecosystem.

Comparison of natural and artificial ecosystems

Artificial ones, which we have already examined, have a number of disadvantages compared to natural ones. The latter are distinguished by their stability and ability to self-regulate. But agrobiocenoses cannot exist for a long time without human participation. So, a garden with vegetable crops produces independently for no more than a year, perennial herbaceous plants - about three. The record holder in this regard is the garden, whose fruit crops are able to develop independently for up to 20 years.

Natural ecosystems receive only solar energy. Humans introduce additional sources of it into agrobiocenoses in the form of soil cultivation, fertilizers, aeration, and weed and pest control. However, there are many cases where human economic activity has led to unfavorable consequences: salinization and waterlogging of soils, desertification of territories, and pollution of natural environments.

Urban ecosystems

At the present stage of development, man has already made significant changes to the composition and structure of the biosphere. Therefore, a separate shell is distinguished, directly created by human activity. It's called the noosphere. Recently, such a concept as urbanization has been widely developed - the increasing role of cities in human life. More than half the population of our planet already lives in them.

The urban ecosystem has its own distinctive features. The ratio of elements in them is disturbed since the regulation of all processes associated with the transformation of substances and energy is carried out exclusively by humans. While creating all possible benefits for himself, he also creates a lot of unfavorable conditions. Polluted air, transport and housing problems, high morbidity rates, and constant noise negatively affect the health of all city residents.

What is succession

Very often, successive changes occur within one area. This phenomenon is called succession. A classic example of a change in ecosystem is the appearance of a deciduous forest in the place of a coniferous forest. Due to the fire, only seeds are preserved in the occupied area. But it takes a long time for them to germinate. Therefore, first, herbaceous vegetation appears at the site of the fire. Over time, it is replaced by shrubs, and these, in turn, are replaced by deciduous trees. Such successions are called secondary. They arise under the influence of natural factors or human activities. In nature they are found quite often.

Primary successions are associated with the process of soil formation. It is typical for areas devoid of life. For example, rocks, sands, stones, sandy loams. In this case, first the conditions for soil formation arise, and only then the remaining components of the biogeocenosis appear.

So, an ecosystem is a community that includes biotic elements and They are in close interaction and are connected by the circulation of substances and energy.

Ecosystems are one of the key concepts of ecology, which is a system that includes several components: a community of animals, plants and microorganisms, a characteristic habitat, a whole system of relationships through which the interchange of substances and energies occurs.

In science, there are several classifications of ecosystems. One of them divides all known ecosystems into two large classes: natural, created by nature, and artificial, those created by man. Let's look at each of these classes in more detail.

Natural ecosystems

As noted above, natural ecosystems were formed as a result of the action of natural forces. They are characterized by:

Close relationship between organic and inorganic substances
A complete, closed circle of the cycle of substances: starting from the appearance of organic matter and ending with its decay and decomposition into inorganic components.
Resilience and self-healing ability.

All natural ecosystems are defined by the following characteristics:

1. Species structure: the number of each species of animal or plant is regulated by natural conditions.
2. Spatial structure: all organisms are arranged in a strict horizontal or vertical hierarchy. For example, in a forest ecosystem, tiers are clearly distinguished; in an aquatic ecosystem, the distribution of organisms depends on the depth of the water.
3. Biotic and abiotic substances. The organisms that make up the ecosystem are divided into inorganic (abiotic: light, air, soil, wind, humidity, pressure) and organic (biotic - animals, plants).
4. In turn, the biotic component is divided into producers, consumers and destroyers. Producers include plants and bacteria, which use sunlight and energy to create organic matter from inorganic substances. Consumers are animals and carnivorous plants that feed on this organic matter. Destroyers (fungi, bacteria, some microorganisms) are the crown of the food chain, as they carry out the reverse process: organic matter is converted into inorganic substances.

The spatial boundaries of each natural ecosystem are very arbitrary. In science, it is customary to define these boundaries by the natural contours of the relief: for example, a swamp, a lake, mountains, rivers. But in the aggregate, all ecosystems that make up the bioshell of our planet are considered open, since they interact with the environment and with space. In the most general idea, the picture looks like this: living organisms receive energy, cosmic and terrestrial substances from the environment, and the output is sedimentary rocks and gases, which ultimately escape into space.

All components of the natural ecosystem are closely interconnected. The principles of this connection develop over years, sometimes centuries. But this is precisely why they become so stable, since these connections and climatic conditions determine the species of animals and plants that live in a given area. Any imbalance in a natural ecosystem can lead to its disappearance or extinction. Such a violation could be, for example, deforestation or extermination of a population of a particular animal species. In this case, the food chain is immediately disrupted, and the ecosystem begins to “fail.”

By the way, introducing additional elements into ecosystems can also disrupt it. For example, if a person begins to breed animals in the chosen ecosystem that were not there initially. A clear confirmation of this is the breeding of rabbits in Australia. At first this was beneficial, since in such a fertile environment and excellent climatic conditions for breeding, the rabbits began to reproduce with incredible speed. But in the end everything came to a crash. Countless hordes of rabbits devastated the pastures where sheep had previously grazed. The number of sheep began to decline. And a person gets much more food from one sheep than from 10 rabbits. This incident even became a saying: “The rabbits ate Australia.” It took incredible effort from scientists and a lot of expense before they managed to get rid of the rabbit population. It was not possible to completely exterminate their population in Australia, but their numbers decreased and no longer threatened the ecosystem.

Artificial ecosystems

Artificial ecosystems are communities of animals and plants living in conditions created for them by humans. They are also called noobiogeocenoses or socioecosystems. Examples: field, pasture, city, society, spaceship, zoo, garden, artificial pond, reservoir.

The simplest example of an artificial ecosystem is an aquarium. Here the habitat is limited by the walls of the aquarium, the flow of energy, light and nutrients is carried out by man, who also regulates the temperature and composition of the water. The number of inhabitants is also initially determined.

First feature: all artificial ecosystems are heterotrophic, i.e. consuming ready-made food. Let's take a city as an example, one of the largest artificial ecosystems. The influx of artificially created energy (gas pipeline, electricity, food) plays a huge role here. At the same time, such ecosystems are characterized by a large release of toxic substances. That is, those substances that later serve for the production of organic matter in a natural ecosystem often become unsuitable in artificial ones.

Another distinctive feature of artificial ecosystems is an open metabolic cycle. Let’s take agroecosystems as an example—the most important for humans. These include fields, gardens, vegetable gardens, pastures, farms and other agricultural lands on which people create conditions for the production of consumer products. People take out part of the food chain in such ecosystems (in the form of crops), and therefore the food chain becomes destroyed.

The third difference between artificial ecosystems and natural ones is their small number of species. Indeed, a person creates an ecosystem for the sake of breeding one (less often several) species of plants or animals. For example, in a wheat field, all pests and weeds are destroyed, and only wheat is cultivated. This makes it possible to get a better harvest. But at the same time, the destruction of organisms that are “unprofitable” for humans makes the ecosystem unstable.

Comparative characteristics of natural and artificial ecosystems

It is more convenient to present a comparison of natural ecosystems and socioecosystems in the form of a table:

Natural ecosystems	Artificial ecosystems
The main component is solar energy.	Mainly receives energy from fuels and prepared foods (heterotrophic)
Forms fertile soil	Depletes the soil
All natural ecosystems absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen	Most artificial ecosystems consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide
Great species diversity	Limited number of species of organisms
High stability, ability for self-regulation and self-healing	Weak sustainability, since such an ecosystem depends on human activities
Closed metabolism	Open metabolic chain
Creates habitats for wild animals and plants	Destroys wildlife habitats
Accumulates water, using it wisely and purifying it	High water consumption and pollution

in a new way. Economics of the agricultural ecosystem.
Example: Raising beef cattle.

Economy

An animal consumes on average 2.5 kg of dry matter per 100 kg of live weight. Gives weight gain of 900 grams. On average, the age-sex group (cow, calf, and the calf of the previous year) gives 2 kg of weight gain per day and weighs 1500 kg.

This group of animals consumes 15 * 2.5 = 37.5 kg of dry matter in the diet and, accordingly, produces the same amount of dry matter waste.

If we take the cost of kg of dry matter of the diet for 5 rubles, then this will amount to 187 rubles 50 kopecks in the cost of weight gain. With the cost of gross output 2 * 120 = 240 rubles.

Thus, the cost of servicing the animals and the profit remains 240 rubles – 187 rubles 50 kopecks = 52 rubles 50 kopecks and one hundred kg of waste only from animals. Butmorethere is uneaten food! This is called a financial trap.

But when humus worms are added to this technological map. Then everything is processed into dry matter of humic fertilizers. They contain 16%NPKwhich is 100% absorbed by plants and is not affected by environmental factors.

And even if the cost of the active substance of mineral fertilizers is considered to be 35 thousand per ton, then based on this indicator alone, humic fertilizers cover the cost of the dry matter of the feed. 35 rubles * 0.16 = 5 rubles 60 kopecks.

And besides this, this organic fertilizer contains the determining absorption properties of the soil, as well as soil bacteria that determine the total microbial number of the rhizosphere zone of plants.

Livestock farm ecosystem

The creation of such an ecosystem changes the entire system of relationships between industries. Crop growers order fertilizers not from mineral companies, but from livestock farmers. Which, on a collision course, receive feed and give back humic fertilizers.

The benefit is obvious. Crop growers receive a complex fertilizer, which can be applied with the same units that are used for mineral fertilizers. Environmental factors do not matter when applying humic fertilizers.

The application of three tons per hectare of humic fertilizers for three years makes the most depleted land fertile. The most important thing is that the money intended for the purchase of mineral fertilizers remains on the farm.

A livestock farm is a fertilizer production plant in the first place, and meat and milk second in terms of gross production value. But in terms of profits from livestock farming, meat and milk will be in first place. In this ecosystem, meat and milk will be precisely this profit.

The most amazing thing is that plant growers are so cowardly that they are afraid to even try. We livestock farmers will have to do everything ourselves, I mean Turksad. If their bases weren’t filled with manure, he would have chickened out too. Like Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev and his comrades, we walked across the field and scattered white powders (mineral fertilizers) with our hands. Only we have vermicompost instead of fertilizers in our hands.

I can imagine what the peasants who watched what was happening thought about him. And most likely they also refused to spread these poisonous abominations across the field, because they rightly believed that humus was better. But today's peasants think differently. Is it really so hard for us now because we have been going the wrong way for 150 years?

And the mineral industry is not good, but evil, which will cease to be necessary with the advent of technological ecosystems in agriculture. It turns out that German Gref constantly talks about ecosystems. Apparently they smoke something good in Sberbank. But it's definitely expensive.

V. Velichko

The best from ZOOTEHNIKOFF:

Ecosystem Economics of Dairy Farming Basic formulas for calculating feed dry matter consumption. The best fertilizer is humic fertilizer.

An ecosystem is, roughly speaking, a collection of representatives of living nature and their living conditions, united by information, substances and energy.

The term "ecosystem" was coined in 1935 by a botanist. This definition was not within the scope of characteristics based on size, rank or type of origin. The author of the term is the Englishman A. Tansley, who devoted his entire life to the study of botany processes.

There can be different types of ecosystems; there is a certain classification and scheme for dividing them as components of the biosphere. For example, judging by the origin of these objects, ecosystem types can be divided into natural and anthropogenic.

The concept of ecosystem is the most important part of the natural complex that makes up the geographical and biological shell of planet Earth. Here we are talking about all the components from which they are composed: soil, air, water resources, flora and fauna.

Arthur Tansley

Quick navigation through the article

General concept of the concept

What is an ecosystem? What does this concept include? The meaning of the word is explained quite simply: it is a system populated by living organisms in their natural habitat conditions, within which there is a constant exchange of information and energy.

Vladimir Nikolaevich Sukachev There are different types of ecosystems, but the general principle is the same: it has a biotope - a regional component that has the same landscape, terrain, climate, and biocenosis - the inhabitants of the group permanently living in this biotope. It simply does not make sense to consider these two concepts separately, since biotope and biocenosis do not exist separately from each other. But together they form a natural scheme called biogeocenosis. This concept was introduced into scientific use by biologist V.N. Sukachev.

Since natural systems can exist for a very long time, the coordinated work of all components, correct metabolic processes, as well as interaction with the environment are important for them to release accumulated energy and replenish from the outside. The diversity of ecosystems is great, each of them is individual, but they all have common factors - construction and components.

An ecosystem is a separate structural unit that combines biotic and abiotic factors, which has its own line of self-development, provision of vital materials and a certain organization.

Ecosystem types

Metabolism systems for various substances can be of different types.

What are the types of ecosystems based on the source of their components? There are only two of them: natural and artificial.

A living group is a completely autonomous complex of living organisms living in comfortable conditions. In such a structure, all its components perform their function independently, without any outside intervention. This concept of ecosystem is called natural or natural.

But anthropogenic groups in biology are completely artificial in origin, and are often called just that – artificial. What are the essential features of such a system? Everything is very simple: they were created artificially, by man. The inhabitants of the ecosystem here cannot provide the necessary exchange of information and their own living conditions themselves; all this is supported from the outside.

Now let's take a closer look at the difference between these two types.

Natural

Natural ecosystems are further subdivided by the method of obtaining energy from outside. One group is completely dependent on the energy of the sun, the second receives power not only from the sun, but also from other sources in addition.

The ecology of communities and ecosystems that are one hundred percent dependent on the celestial body is not particularly productive in terms of processing substances, but it is impossible to do without them. The functions of this type of ecosystem shape the climate on the planet and the general condition of the air layer around the Earth. Typically, natural complexes exist in their natural form, occupying large areas, just as they were created.

Natural biomes are divided into three main groups:

Ground,
Freshwater,
Marine.

The deep-sea basin of the Black Sea is an example of a marine biome

Each of them is based on natural and environmental factors, and their combined work is the main condition for the emergence and existence of the global ecosystem. These types are deliberately divided into ecology according to the conditions of existence - thus, a single ecosystem is composed of the main possible habitats in natural conditions. In this context, examples of ecosystems from each group will certainly be interesting.

Ground

Large terrestrial ecosystems known as natural:

tundra,
coniferous forest,
desert,
savannah.

Tundra

There are quite a lot of such representatives, their general meaning is clear: this is a natural system located on the earth and completely independently functioning.

Freshwater

The freshwater group is more diverse and includes several more separate types:

Lentic ecosystems. These include objects with standing water, most often ponds or lakes. They are subject to stratification, since the water in such reservoirs practically does not move - except for short seasonal periods. Therefore, such biomes, although important for the ecology of the planet, are quite static in their action and have a long period of metabolic processes.
Lotic ecosystems. Here it’s just the opposite - we are talking about flowing waters: various types of rivers, streams and the like. Due to their main property - flow - such groups are more active than the previous ones. Due to the fact that the waters do not stagnate, there is a greater volume of exchange between water and land, as well as a uniform circulation of oxygen throughout the entire area.
Naturally wet bodies of water. That is, in fact, the swamps themselves and their varieties. They differ depending on their location: they can be lowland - their basis is groundwater, or high - formed anywhere, even after heavy rains or other natural disasters.

Raised, transitional and lowland swamps in the floodplain of the river. Mankurka and Borovaya - a bog complex of upland type

The concept of functioning in freshwater biomes is completely similar to terrestrial ones: a collection of living organisms in their natural habitat, performing metabolic processes within the ecological complex.

Marine

The marine type, accordingly, includes:

oceans,
seas,
shelf waters,
other bodies of sea water.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in terms of area and depth on Earth

These are the main types of natural systems. However, there are also some others in nature - their number is so tiny that there is no point in illuminating them.

Each natural system has its own climate, vegetation and fauna.

Artificial

However, a living ecosystem cannot always fully function independently; often, if at least one of the key factors is lost, it is doomed to death. The life of the ecosystem will gradually fade away, removing its next links from the chain until it ceases to function completely.

This happened in the early periods of the development of natural processes, until man intervened in their natural course. It was with his participation that the so-called anthropogenic natural complexes– they are also called artificial.

These types of ecosystems are in fact very similar, they have the same principle of operation and semantic meaning; the main feature of the artificial type is that the main, decisive role in it belongs to outside intervention.

It’s not difficult to find an example of an anthropogenic type of ecosystem – they are everywhere.

Let's take agriculture or farming. On the one hand, all processes in them occur naturally: plant seeds ripen under the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation and the metabolism of soil, air and precipitation. But at the same time, the human component of influence is integral here: agricultural tillage, pest control, harvesting - each factor plays a significant role in the life of this complex, and it cannot be provided by nature independently.

Farming in the Tyumen region

When talking about artificial complexes, we cannot lose sight of urban and industrial ecosystems. These are striking examples of anthropogenic groups.

In particular, urban ecosystems have emerged recently in the process of urbanization of the population - residents moved from agricultural lands to cities, creating large, including industrial centers. The latter have a huge negative contribution to the ecology of our entire planet.

Industrially polluted cities are a real threat to the ecological state of the Earth and all its spheres. They not only kill the possibility of natural processes occurring in nature, but also exert their harmful effects on the adjacent regions, gradually surviving the natural environment.

A striking example of industrial ecosystems is the Donbass region and others like it. Compared to them, ordinary urban ecosystems - although artificial, are not that threatening to the environment.

Examples

The concept of an ecosystem has existed in science for a long time, and over time the ecosystem diagram is gradually becoming more complex. This happens both for natural reasons and due to the intervention of progressive aspects. The concept of this term is quite suitable for designating a set of factors that interact with each other and create their own cycle of metabolism and information.

Let's consider the main ecosystems of the earth and their features. The largest ecosystem on Earth is the planet’s biosphere, which is the name given to a collection of living organisms that interact with each other using biotic and abiotic models of behavior.

The ecological system in nature is: tracts of natural plantings, forming various types of forests - taiga, deciduous and pine forests. The function of the ecosystem in these cases is ensured by the presence of a group of organisms responsible for its viability. Here, the interaction between living organisms and components of inanimate nature is obligatory: representatives of fauna, the plant flora on which they feed, bacteria that live by obtaining nutrients from dead organic matter.

Examples of anthropogenic ecosystems are even easier to find! Here, too, the main role is given to natural processes, but they do not occur independently. The types and components of such complexes can be anything.

The simplest example of an ecosystem in this section is an ordinary aquarium. It seems to be completely natural (it has a living ecosystem of fish, shellfish, plants, water and air), but the factor shaping the type of anthropogenic scheme here is man. It supplies food to the inhabitants of the aquarium, and also provides lighting, cleaning and other necessary factors.

Aquarium

Or take the example of a vegetable garden, which is essentially close to the concept of a natural process: vegetables grow from seeds using natural mechanisms. The definition of anthropogenicity here is elementary - it is a natural scheme created by man.

A separate example of artificial complexes is engineered ecosystems. This primarily includes wastewater treatment plants, windmills, and mountain ecosystems created by people. Here, non-living parts of the ecosystem produce or transform energy flows specifically to ensure the life of humanity.

It is also impossible not to note the enormous impact on the environment that technogenic ecosystems have. Their concepts are such that the activities of any such complex benefit humanity and progress, but at the same time cause, often irreparable, harm to the natural ecosystems of the planet, the ecological situation in certain regions, all living things and inanimate objects, including.