What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is the intercommunication of living organisms with non-living things in a specified region. All those units, creating an ecosystem, communicate with each other through natural food chains and sustain life. Besides embracing living entities and non-living things, an ecosystem contains other factors, such as soil and water. They play an essential part in creating an ecosystem, being a great source of nutrition. Hence, organisms living in an ecosystem consume them and correlate with other environmental factors to maintain a system.
Furthermore, despite having different species, an ecosystem is still not immense as a biome. There are multiple ecosystems found in a single biome. An ecosystem is well-defined through the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors rather than considering its geographical area.
Types of ecosystems
- Terrestrial Ecosystem
- Aquatic Ecosystem
- Marine Ecosystem
- Arctic Ecosystem, etc.
Examples of ecosystems
- Ponds
- Mountain cliffs
- Forests, etc.
What is a biome?
A biome is defined as a group of regions consisting of the natural flora of plants, animals, and their associated factors. It usually develops concerning the atmospheric and other non-living elements, such as variations in rainfall, temperature changes, latitude alterations, and much more. The state of latitude has a strong influence on biomes. At lower latitudes, the biomes endure heavy sun rays than at higher latitudes making them warmer and full of moisture. When talking about its geographical size, it consists of several ecosystems with numerous living entities. You will always observe two or more ecosystems in a particular biome. It rounds up an enormous continental portion of the Earth, including the most biotic and abiotic factors.
Types of Biomes
- Grassland biomes
- Rainforest biomes
- Aquatic biomes
- Temperate forest biomes
- Desert biomes
- Alpine and Arctic tundra biomes
- Taiga (Boreal Forest)
Examples of Biomes
- Tropical rain forests
- Temperate forests
- Savannah, etc.
Biome vs Ecosystem: Key Differences
| Basis | Biome | Ecosystem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A large geographical area with similar climate, flora, and fauna. | A smaller, localized community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment. |
| Size | Much larger in scale, covering vast regions of the Earth. | Smaller in scale, ranging from a few square meters to several square kilometers. |
| Climate | Characterized by a specific climate and weather pattern. | Affected by the local climate, which may vary within the same biome. |
| Biodiversity | Generally lower biodiversity compared to ecosystems. | Can have higher biodiversity due to the intricate interactions among species. |
| Examples | Examples include deserts, rainforests, tundra, and grasslands. | Examples include a pond, a forest, a coral reef, or a wetland. |
| Stability | More stable and less susceptible to rapid environmental changes. | Can be less stable and more sensitive to disturbances. |
| Interconnectedness | Biomes are made up of multiple interconnected ecosystems. | Ecosystems are individual units within a biome. |
| Scale of Study | Typically studied at a broader, macroscopic scale. | Typically studied at a finer, microscopic or localized scale. |
| Abiotic Factors | Biomes focus more on the abiotic (non-living) factors like climate and geography. | Ecosystems consider both abiotic and biotic (living) factors, including species interactions. |
| Conservation Focus | Conservation efforts often target preserving entire biomes. | Conservation efforts often target specific ecosystems and their unique features. |
Key Points
- Any group of organisms whose members interact with each other and their larger environment can be called an ecosystem. That means ecosystems can be very tiny or very large. A puddle where tadpoles are interacting with water, food, predators, and weather conditions can be called an ecosystem. An entire mountain chain with interacting plants, animals, forest soils, rocky mountaintops, mild foothills and ancient bedrock can be called an ecosystem, too.
- The biomes on earth are areas that have similar climate, plant and animal populations, and share geographic conditions like types of soil and plant life. Oceans, tundras, temperate forests, grasslands, tropical rainforests, and deserts are all distinct biomes. Scientists call all tropical rainforests on the planet the same kind of biome, so biomes don’t have to be geographically contiguous — that is, they don’t all have to touch each other or interact directly with one another to be considered the same.