ECOSYSTEM

The health of humans, like all living organisms, is dependent on an ecosystem

that sustains life. An ecosystem is a complex set of relationships between living and non-
living organism and their physical environment. The term an ecosystem is originally
defined by Tansley (1935). An ecosystem is defined as the network of interactions among
organisms, and between organisms and their environment they can come in any size but
usually encompass specific, limited spaces although according to some scientists the
entire planet is an ecosystem or an ecosystem is defined as a complex, dynamic
community of organisms including plants, animals and micro-organisms that all interact
among themselves as well as with the environment that they live in.
There are two types of components that make up an ecosystem’s characteristics
and these are biotic and abiotic factors. The biological or biotic components of an
ecosystem include both living organisms and products of these organisms. The biotic
components are broadly categorized as producers, and consumers of different classes
such as herbivores (animals that eat plants), carnivores (animals that eat flesh of other
animals), omnivores (animals that consume both plants and animals as available) and
lastly scavengers (animals that eat dead plant and animal matters). While the non-
biological or abiotic components include climatic and edaphic features, in particular
climatic components like sunlight, temperature, air and water supply along with soil
component such as soil nutrients which are very important contributing factors of
ecosystem operation.
Ecosystem has a processes and these includes decomposition, production (of
plant matter), water cycle, nutrient cycling, and fluxes of nutrients and energy. During the
process of production and consumption, energy is passed along, or flows, from one
organism to another. The flow of food energy in an ecosystem progress is called a food
chain in which one step follows another—primary consumers eat producers, secondary
consumers eat primary consumers, and so on. A food web is the natural interconnection
of food chains and a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological
community. In order to identify the relationship between organism in an ecosystem there
is what we called ecological pyramid it shows the number of organisms, biomass, and
productivity at each trophic level. Ecological pyramid refers also to energy pyramid,
pyramid of biomass, pyramid of numbers.
Ecosystem varies widely, with respect to both its biotic and abiotic composition
and their interactions. Broadly speaking, habitat wise there are two major categories of
ecosystem, viz., terrestrial or land ecosystem or biome and aquatic ecosystem. Each of
them, again, is divided into several ecosystem types depending on atmospheric
temperature, rainfall and soil or substrate nature. The habitat condition varies widely from
coastal areas, to mountains, deserts, hills, and alluvial plains in both tropical and
subtropical zones. The major ecosystem types in terrestrial habitat are these-grassland,
rain forest, deciduous forest, mountain, desert, coastal, alpine and glacier zones.
 Energy moves life. The cycle of energy is based on the flow of energy through
different trophic levels in an ecosystem. Our ecosystem is maintained by the cycling
energy and nutrients obtained from different external sources. Each and every ecosystem
provides a number of goods and services to mankind directly or indirectly. These includes
material supply like food, fiber, fuel, medicines and bio-chemicals; or it helps in control of
flood, erosion, habitat protection, waste recycling, recreation and so on. In short,
ecosystems are what sustain both humans and animals, providing them with energy,
nutrients, oxygen, water and shelter, among other things.
However, as years passed by our ecosystems are slowly become dysfunctional,
particularly under chronic stress from human activity. For example, the human
disturbance and discharge of nutrients from sewage, industrial waste, or agricultural
runoff into lakes or rivers affects the normal functioning of the ecosystem, and can result
in severe impairment. Stress from human activity is a major factor in transforming healthy
ecosystems to sick ecosystems.
Five major sources of human-induced (anthropogenic) stresses have been
identified by D. J. Rapport and A. M. Friend (1979): physical restructuring, overharvesting,
waste residuals, introduction of exotic species, and global change.
Physical Restructuring. Activities such as wetland drainage, removal of
shoals in lakes, damming of rivers, and road construction fragment the landscape and
alter and damage critical habitat. These activities also disrupt nutrient cycling, and cause
the loss of biodiversity.
Overharvesting. Overexploitation is commonplace when it comes to harvesting
of wildlife, fisheries, and forests. Over long periods of time, stocks of preferred species
are reduced. For example, the giant redwoods that once thrived along the California coast
now exist only in remnant patches because of overharvesting.
Waste Residuals. Discharges from municipal, industrial, and agricultural
sources into the air, water, and land have severely compromised many of the earth's
ecosystems. The effects are particularly apparent in aquatic ecosystems.
Introduction of Exotic Species. The spread of exotics has become a problem
in almost every ecosystem of the world. Transporting species from their native habitat to
entirely new ecosystems can wreck havoc, as the new environments are often without
natural checks and balances for the new species.
Global Change. Rapid climate change (or climate warming) is an emerging
potential global stress on all of the earth's ecosystems. In evolutionary time, there have
of course been large fluctuations in climate.
These anthropogenic stresses have compromised ecosystem function in
most regions of the world, resulting in ecosystem distress syndrome (EDS). EDS is
characterized by a group of signs, including abnormalities in nutrient cycling, productivity,
species diversity and richness, biotic structure, disease prevalence, soil fertility, and so
on. The consequences of these changes for human health are not inconsiderable.
Impoverished biotic communities are natural harbors for pathogens that affect humans
and other species. That kind of phenomena can have adverse impacts to every species
and organisms on earth. It will also result to ecological imbalances triggered by global
climate change and other causes are responsible for increased human health risks.
Given the difficulties in reversing ecosystem degradation, and the many
associated human health risks that arise with the loss of ecosystem health, the most
effective approach is simply the prevention of ecosystem disruption. However, like many
common-sense approaches, this is easier said than done.
Even where it has been possible to restore some of the ecological functions of
degraded ecosystems, and thus improve ecosystem health, the restoration seldom
results in reestablishment of the pristine biotic community. The best that can be achieved
in most cases is reestablishment of the key ecological functions that provide the required
ecosystem services, such as the regulation of water, primary and secondary productivity,
nutrient cycling, and pollination. In all such efforts, key indicators of ecosystem health
(vigor, productivity, and resilience) are essential to monitor progress. Standard ecological
indicators can be used for this purpose (e.g., measures of productivity, species
composition, nutrient flows, soil fertility) along with socioeconomic and human health
indicators.
Experience in efforts to restore highly damaged ecosystems suggests that
ecosystem-health prevention is far more effective than restoration. For marine
ecosystems, setting aside protective zones that afford a sanctuary for fish and wildlife has
considerable promise. Many countries are adopting policies to establish such areas with
the prospect that these healthy regions can serve as a reservoir for biota that have
become depleted in the unprotected areas. Yet this remedy is not without its limits.
However, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the past is not necessarily the
best guide to the future. The human population is at an alltime high, and associated
pressures of human activity have led to increasing degradation of the earth's ecosystems.
As ultimately healthy ecosystems are essential for life of all biota, including humans,
current global and regional trends are ominous. Under these circumstances, a tradeoff
between immediate material gains and long-term sustainability of humans on the planet
may be the only option. If so, the solution to sustaining human health and ecosystem
health becomes one of devising a new politic that places sustaining life support systems
as a precondition for betterment of the human condition and the ecosystem.

References:
http://www.biologydiscussion.com/ecosystem/essay-on-ecosystem-meaning-and-
components/57774
https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/biology-and-
genetics/environmental-studies/ecosystems