Ecosystem

The idea

An ecosystem is all the interacting organisms of an area (biotic components) together with its non-living physical factors such as temperature, rainfall, wind, soil and minerals (abiotic components); it may be natural or human-made.

A garden

A garden has grasses, trees, roses, jasmine, frogs, insects and birds. It also has soil, rainfall, wind and a certain temperature.

Is the soil of the garden a part of the garden's ecosystem?

• Yes, it is a non-living part of it
• No, an ecosystem is made of living things alone
• Only if a plant grows in it

Living or non-living

Tap a bin for each card.

One system

The organisms of the garden and its soil, rain, wind and temperature affect each other. The growth, reproduction and other activities of the living organisms are affected by the abiotic components. So the garden is an ecosystem. A forest, a pond or a lake is an ecosystem too.

An ecosystem is all the interacting organisms of an area (biotic components) together with its non-living physical factors such as temperature, rainfall, wind, soil and minerals (abiotic components). It may be natural or human-made.

Notes

An ecosystem is the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of an area, interacting together.

Check yourself

Which of these is an abiotic component of an ecosystem?

Which of these is a human-made (artificial) ecosystem?

What does an ecosystem consist of?

How are the growth and reproduction of organisms in a garden related to rainfall, temperature and soil?

• Jasmine. Jasmine is a flower-bearing plant, a living organism, so it is a biotic component.
• Rainfall — correct. Yes!
• Frogs. Frogs are living organisms, so they are biotic components.
• A forest. A forest is a natural ecosystem.
• A lake. Ponds and lakes are natural ecosystems.
• A crop-field — correct. Yes!
• Interacting organisms together with the non-living physical factors of the area — correct. Yes!
• The plants and animals of an area, without the soil, rain and wind. The non-living factors such as soil, rain and wind are the abiotic components and are part of the ecosystem too.
• The soil, rain and wind of an area, without the organisms. The living organisms are the biotic components and are part of the ecosystem too.
• They have nothing to do with these abiotic components. The growth, reproduction and other activities of organisms are affected by the abiotic components.
• They are affected by these abiotic components — correct. Yes!
• They depend on the animals of the garden alone. The activities of the organisms are affected by the abiotic components of the ecosystem as well.