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Ecosystems intro - December 2010
Ecosystems consist of communities of living things that interact not only with each other, but also with non-living elements of their environment. An ecosystem is defined as an area where a biological community interacts with the surrounding physical environment. The two main components of an ecosystem are the biotic factors, consisting of living things, and abiotic factors, consisting of non-living elements. Matter cycles through both biotic and abiotic elements in ecosystem biogeochemical cycles, such as the water cycle which involves evaporation, condensation, transpiration, precipitation, infiltration, discharge and storage.
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Ecosystems intro - December 2010
- 1. Ecosystems Communities interactwith their environment
- 2. Living things donātjust interact with each other in a community. cc licensed flickr photo by jfortugaleza: http://flickr.com/photos/30594175@N05/3230112383/ They also interact with the non-living components of their environment
- 3. Ecosystem - anarea in which a community interacts with its non-living environment
- 4. Two components ofan ecosystem: biotic - living (i.e. the community) abiotic - non-living
- 5. Matter within anecosystem is recycled in biogeochemical cycles. cc licensed flickr photo by lanier67: http://flickr.com/photos/lanier67/184302007/ pathway through which a chemical element or substance moves through both biotic and abiotic components
- 6.
- 7. Evaporation - liquidwater absorbs heat to become water vapour
- 8. Condensation - watervapour in air condenses into tiny liquid water droplets
- 9. Evapotranspiration - waterevaporates from the leaves of plants
- 10. Sublimation - solidice/snow turns directly into gaseous water vapour.
- 11. Precipitation - waterdroplets in air fall to surface of earth as liquid rain or solid snow/hail.
- 12. Infiltration - liquidwater seeps into soil to become groundwater
- 13. Discharge - groundwaterdrains into rivers or lakes
- 14. Storage - watercan remain for extended periods in underground reservoirs called aquifers.