Ecosisteme

Ecosisteme is a term used to describe ecosystems, the complex and dynamic networks of living organisms and their physical environment that interact as a system. In this view, biotic components such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms interact with abiotic factors like air, water, soil, climate, and landscape, forming processes that sustain the system’s structure and function. Ecosisteme emphasizes how emergent properties arise from interactions rather than from individual components alone.

Key characteristics include energy flow and matter cycling. Energy from sunlight is captured by producers, then transferred through food webs to consumers and decomposers, with nutrients recycled through biogeochemical cycles. These flows create relationships such as predation, symbiosis, decomposition, and competition, shaping community composition and ecosystem productivity. Boundaries between ecosisteme are often permeable, allowing movement of organisms, energy, and materials across scales.

Ecosisteme can be natural or human-modified. They vary widely in size and type, from forests and wetlands to lakes, rivers, and urban green spaces. They provide ecosystem services that support human well-being, including provisioning services (food, water), regulating services (climate regulation, flood control, disease management), supporting services (pollination, nutrient cycling), and cultural services (recreation, aesthetics).

Dynamics include succession, disturbance, resilience, and adaptation. Human activities such as land use change, pollution, climate change, and species introductions can alter ecosisteme structure and function, highlighting the importance of conservation, sustainable management, and restoration efforts.