What makes up an ecosystem?

The biosphere is composed of several ecosystems.

An ecosystem is composed of living organisms that interact with each other and with
the non-living factors in their environment.
An ecosystem has two components: biotic and abiotic components.
Biotic components are the living things that live in an ecosystem
while abiotic components are the non-living chemical and physical parts of an
ecosystem that affect the living organisms.
Biotic Components
The living organisms can be classified according to their roles in the ecosystem:
producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Producers are organisms that can make their own food through photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants produce their own food by using the
energy from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil.
Consumers are organisms that feed on other organisms to obtain nutrients for
survival.

Herbivores are consumers that feed on plants.

Carnivores are consumers that feed on meat.

Omnivores are consumers that feed on both plants and meat.

Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, are organisms that break down the remains
of dead plants and animals and bring nutrients back to the environment making them
available again to living organisms.
Abiotic Components include chemical and physical parts of the ecosystem that affect
living organisms and the functioning of a certain ecosystem.

Abiotic components include climatic factors such as light, temperature, precipitation,

wind, and humidity. Soil nutrients, soil moisture, and soil pH, and topography also
affect living organisms.

Key Points

An ecosystem is composed of biotic and abiotic factors that interact with each
other.

Biotic components are the living things that live in an ecosystem.

Abiotic components are the non-living chemical and physical parts of an

ecosystem that affect the living organisms.

Plants and algae are considered producers because they make their own energy by converting sunlight
into carbon compounds.
Plants produce their own food by converting the energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis.
The primary function of decomposers is to break down the bodies of all dead organisms. While they are
doing this, they release nutrients stored in the decomposed bodies back into the environment. These
nutrients are then used by other organisms for their growth and maintenance.
Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, are organisms that break down dead organisms and recycle
nutrients back into the environment. If they are not present in an ecosystem, the amount of nutrients
recycled back into the ecosystem will decrease, which in turn will prevent other organisms from using
them. This will cause the ecosystem to die. In addition, if there is nothing to break down the dead bodies
they will pile up.
If there are no producers present, there will be no energy to pass onto the higher levels of the food chain.