Ekosisteme

Ekosisteme, the term used in Albanian for ecosystems, are complex, dynamic networks of living beings—plants, animals, microorganisms—and their physical surroundings, including air, water, soil, and climate. They are characterized by energy flow and nutrient cycling that organize biological communities and habitat structure. In an ekosistem, solar energy supports producers that convert light into chemical energy, forming the base of food webs. Consumers obtain energy by feeding, while decomposers break down organic matter, returning nutrients to the environment.

Key components include biotic factors (organisms across trophic levels) and abiotic factors (temperature, moisture, minerals, pH). The interactions among these factors give rise to emergent properties such as stability, resilience, and productivity. Ecological processes such as succession, disturbance, competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships shape composition over time.

Ekosisteme vary widely and can be natural or managed. Major types include terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, coral reefs, and mangroves, as well as agro-ecosystems and urban ecosystems.

Ecosystem services are benefits that ekosisteme provide to humans, including provisioning (food, water), regulating (climate, flood control, disease regulation), supporting (pollination, nutrient cycling), and cultural (recreation, inspiration). Threats such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species, and overexploitation can reduce function and services. Conservation and restoration efforts—protected areas, sustainable management, restoration ecology, and nature-based solutions—aim to maintain or recover ecosystem health and resilience.