Ecosystem is a concept introduced in 1935 by botanist Arthur Tansley in ecology to describe a unit of operation and organization of the ecosphere consists of biotopes and capable of biological productivity. Ecosystem includes relationships between biotopes and biogenesis relations between bodies. For a functioning ecosystem is necessary to include three basic elements.
Biotope is all abiotic factors (water, wind, solar energy, climate, and humidity) and their relations.
Biogenesis is a level of organization of living matter; it consists of about territorial populations and study the interaction of these populations.
An ecosystem has no defined boundaries, so it can be very large (Sahara desert), or very small (a pond).
Another classification of ecosystems:
- Autotrophic ecosystem – ecosystem prevailing activity green plants, which can be self-sufficient.
- Heterotrophic ecosystem – ecosystem organisms consuming the predominant activity.
- Young ecosystem – ecosystem in which production exceeds consumption of green plants heterotrophic organisms.
- Mature ecosystem – ecosystem in which green plants production is approximately equal to the consumer bodies.
- Natural ecosystem – ecosystem that arose spontaneously in the struggle for existence of plant and animal species, in which man has no role in changing the density, abundance and diversity of organisms.
- Anthropogenic ecosystem – ecosystem in which human intervention is partial or total.
- Human ecosystem – the whole planet in human populations interact with environmental factors.