The natural ecosystem is a set of natural settings that have developed throughout the world for millions of years without any human interference. What are they? and Which ones may exist? These are questions that we will answer in this article, therefore, we invite you to read it.
What is the natural ecosystem?
The first thing that every person interested in the subject and logically speaking, should explain what an ecosystem is. In principle it is a basic component of an environment. It consists of biotic and abiotic components and their continuous interactions with each other. In general terms, ecosystems can be classified into two types, namely: Natural ecosystem, which basically are those in which there is no human interaction in their formation; and the artificial ecosystem, where there is a clear intervention of man in the formation of the environment.
A natural ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving entities and occurs freely in nature. Each component interacts as a combined unit through physical, chemical, and biological processes. The factor that distinguishes natural ecosystems from other ecosystems is that they are completely natural. Their interactions are not influenced in any way by human activity as seen in the case of artificial ecosystems.
On the other hand, it can be mentioned that the components or elements of natural ecosystems that cause these very dynamic interactions are soil, sunlight, air, water, plants, animals and microorganisms. Each of these ecosystem factors are associated directly or indirectly. Among the most common examples we have fluctuating temperature or climate levels that can affect plant growth.
Differences between natural and artificial ecosystem
Among the great differences that can be mentioned between one system or another, the most notable is that in natural ecosystems the biological environment occurs freely in nature instead of being created by man. On the other hand, in the artificial ones, they are ecosystems created by man to obtain commercial or other benefits, in other words, these ecosystems are modified by humans for their own benefit and can be terrestrial or aquatic.
Types of natural ecosystems
The size of each ecosystem varies. On land, ecosystems are interconnected to form a biome: land or atmosphere, the sea area, forests, reefs, etc. Depending on the habitats, the biomes are connected to each other and have various ecosystems. There are two main types of natural ecosystems: Terrestrial ecosystem, based on everything found on land; and the Aquatic Ecosystem, based on water. There are several other types of ecosystems, however, the different systems or environments that are grouped into the two mentioned above will be explained below.
Marine ecosystem
They are the most extensive that can be obtained, because they cover 2/3 of the world and their main characteristic is that they have a huge amount of salt in their composition, unlike their counterparts. They account for more than 97% of the planet's water supply and 90% of living space. This natural ecosystem includes nearshore systems such as salt marshes, seagrass beds, mangroves, intertidal zones, and coral reefs. In turn, they are characterized by the biological community of associated organisms and their physical environment.
natural freshwater ecosystem
This type of natural ecosystem includes any dynamic formation of freshwater environments such as: rivers, lakes and swamps, among others. It can be differentiated from the grouping of seas and oceans, thanks to the absence of salt content in its composition. Over the years, each of the dynamic environments that compose it has been distinguished according to its temperature, the penetration of light, nutrients and vegetation. On the other hand, we can say that its division integrates the so-called lentic (essentially all types of stagnant water) and lotic (integrating all types of running water).
desert ecosystem
The desert ecosystem can be seen in both the Arctic and the tropics. As expected, not all deserts are hot. Some tend to be windy. The most striking feature of this ecosystem is the amount of precipitation it receives, which is the least compared to any other ecosystem. Some deserts are made up of rocks, while others have sand dunes. The flora is very rare, but highly adaptable species of animals and insects are found here. Some major deserts are:
Lencois Maranhenses: It is a large natural sandy ecosystem located in the great country in the south of the American continent, that is, Brazil, specifically in the state of Maranhão in the northeast of the country. It is a national park that houses a desert of white dunes that touch the coast and then enter the mainland for 50 kilometers. The accumulations of water that form between June and September as a result of the rains are especially attractive.
Attack: It is the driest in the world and is located between the countries of Peru and Chile, it is known as a natural Andean desert ecosystem that has some 105.000 km2 of extension. Among the most outstanding curiosities that can be said about it, is that it is an area that can present a period of rain every 3 centuries; In addition, as in all deserts, temperatures can vary a lot since, during the day, it can reach 20 to 30 degrees Celsius and at night it can drop to 25 degrees. As additional information, it is the scene of the most famous desert car race in the world, the Dakar.
Sahara Desert: It is the largest hot desert on the planet, with an area that exceeds 9 million square kilometers. It is located in the northern part of the African continent, which it divides into two zones: the Mediterranean, in the north, and the southern Sahara, in the south. To the east is the Red Sea and to the west the Atlantic. Its age is over 2 million years and the name comes from an Arabic word that translates as desert.
Forest ecosystem
The forest ecosystem is classified according to the climate, which can be tropical, temperate or boreal. In temperate zones, the forest ecosystem can be deciduous, coniferous or a combination of both types of flora. The tropics have rainforest ecosystems that include the most diverse animal and plant ecosystem compared to any region on the planet. In this region, trees grow tall, with denser foliage and a humid environment where species are found from roots to canopy.
Tundra natural ecosystem
It is a kind of natural ecosystem that is known to have a surface influenced by glacial climate and with little presence of large flora. The surface is very flat, the ground is covered with mosses and lichens. Important areas of this natural ecosystem are located in the north of the planet, in the so-called arctic zone, standing out between Alaska in the United States and Siberia in Russia. In the southern hemisphere, it is possible to find portions of tundra in the extreme south of Argentina and Chile, the subantarctic islands and areas of northern Antarctica near sea level.
Various studies have shown that 1/5 of the earth's surface has this type of natural ecosystem. On the other hand, two classes can be highlighted: the mountain (located in places with great heights) and the arctic (these are the ones that are closer to sea level and unlike the other, they have a little more flora). Geology calls permafrost the permanent layer of ice that exists on the surface of the ground in regions with very low temperatures. In the tundra, large areas frozen in winter become swamps or bogs when temperatures rise, because permafrost does not allow meltwater to infiltrate.
Seals, sea lions, polar bears and wolves are some of the animals that inhabit the tundra. Other species, such as reindeer, migrate to other areas during cooler times of the year. As for the flora, it generally does not exceed 10 centimeters in height due to the action of the wind. The melting of the polar ice caps has put the fauna of the tundra in danger of extinction and the polar bear is one of its main victims. Unfortunately, there are no concrete measures to combat this situation.
grassland ecosystem
All these terrestrial environments with large areas of meadows or lots of grass are used for feeding and developing many living beings, including humans. It can also be said that the term prairie is also widely used to designate herbaceous land; however, the widespread use of other terms such as savannahs and steppes has in some sense limited the use of grasslands to North American grasslands. More than a quarter of the Earth is covered with grasslands. Grasslands are found on every continent except Antarctica, and these make up most of Africa and Asia.
There are different types of grasslands, to distinguish them they are called by different names such as grasslands, steppes, plains, savannahs and pampas. Grasslands thrive in places where there is not enough rainwater for a forest to grow, but too much for a desert to exist. The meadows are only full of grass (herbs). Wheat fields are considered grassland, although they are almost always cultivated. During cold seasons, the grass goes dormant until it turns green again.
Conservation of the natural ecosystem
To end our article on the different environmental environments of the planet, a significant call must be made to promote the conservation of ecosystems, since, as mentioned above, each of these is the home and the site for the development and interaction of a variety of fauna and flora. This can be achieved through education, recycling and responsible consumption, which will make an important positive change for the future.
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