When we think of climate change, we are aware that it is a change in the large -scale climate and that takes place as a consequence of human actions on the planet. However, the weather is a system that is constantly changing for itself. Thus, regardless of human actions, we find that ecosystems manifest themselves as the living entities that are, changing and adapting to the new circumstances that may happen. In this way, we can find natural changes and artificial changes that affect ecosystem and that modify them, sometimes for better and others for worse.
If you want to know some Examples of natural and artificial changes in ecosystemsas well as the consequences they have in these systems, continue reading ecology and we tell you.
What are ecosystems
When talking about ecosystemreference is made to a system that is made up of two main elements: the living beings that make it up and the physical space in which these living beings inhabit. In this way, talking about an ecosystem is talking about a biological which is delimited within a specific physical space.
Because physical space is one of the key elements when determining Characteristics of an ecosystemyou can talk about as many ecosystems as physical spaces exist, as long as there is biological activity in them. In this way, there are some well -known ecosystems, such as forests, seas or rivers, mountains, or even deserts. However, it is also fair to talk about ecosystems when we refer to spaces where biological life has adapted to very particular conditions, such as those that occur in the marine graves, in the underground caves or, simply, those that occur in the cities and human population centers, which are also ecosystems in themselves, although with a marked artificial character when they are linked to the human being.
On the other hand, one of the elements that cannot be avoided by mentioning when talking about ecosystems is that, beyond the importance of mentioning spaces where they have their habitat different species, these species establish relationships with each other. These relationships can be of many types, from cooperation and symbiosis to predation or competition with each other. All this constitutes for intrinsic ecosystem, which must be understood as a single unit despite being clearly composed of multiplicity.
Discover in this other article much more about what an ecosystem is, because we tell it in a very complete and simple way.
Causes of changes in ecosystems
One of the elements that must also be considered when talking about ecosystems is that, although these are systems, which implies a certain intrinsic order in itself, they are Systems open to change. That is, ecosystems tend to naturallybut that, if a new element appears that modifies said balance, a change in the ecosystem will be generated, which will tend to assume it as its own and try to adapt to said change. However, the success or failure when adapting to this change will be the one that determines the survival of the ecosystem as a whole.
In this way, it is the new elements that allow the Changes in ecosystems. In this sense, a new element can be a disease that affects a part of the trophic chain, which will make, although it only affects a species, the entire ecosystem is affected as a whole by the domino effect that this will generate. Or you can also give a change in an ecosystem for something as simple as climatic changes in the environment that modify the presence of rainfall, causing greater or lesser amount of vegetation.
One of the factors that must be taken into account when there are changes in ecosystems is that, the slower these changes are, the more possibilities the ecosystem will have in a matter of surviving these changes, since it will have the more possibilities of adapting successfully to the new tesiture. On the contrary, if the changes are manifested very quickly, it is very likely that Many species are unable to adapt to the new modifications and, consequently, they will be able to reach disappear or extinguish of said ecosystem.
Examples of natural and artificial changes in ecosystems and differences
One of the problems that present the changes artificial In ecosystems (that is, caused by the human being) is that they are changes that are made very quickly. In this way, most species cannot adapt to these changes and end up being displaced or suppressed of the ecosystem. On the contrary, the Natural changes in ecosystems They usually give more slowly, which allows species to adapt more successfully and, consequently, have More chances of surviving. However, there are natural changes that can also lead to great extinctions and catastrophic modifications for ecosystems.
Here are some Examples of natural changes and man -produced by man or artificial In ecosystems, which help us understand the wide variety of possibilities that exist when talking about changes in environments or ecosystems:
Examples of natural changes in ecosystems
- Droughts or floods: The success of ecosystems is usually linked to the regular presence of water, the modification of such water cycles can lead to important changes in ecosystems. In this other article you can learn more about what drought, its causes and consequences is.
- Natural changes in temperatures: Another important factor is the temperature, when it varies irregularly, important changes in ecosystems occur.
- Appearance of diseases: Without a doubt, the appearance or disappearance of diseases that affect concrete species is one of the elements that can modify a population in an ecosystem.
- Natural earthquakes or catastrophes: These types of situations, even if they are natural, entail very fast changes in ecosystems, which makes species not adapt and many of them die. In this sense, you can speak from earthquakes, fires or volcanoes, even the impact of an asteroid, which can cause massive extinctions despite being a natural phenomenon.
Examples of man -produced changes in ecosystems
- Deforestation: One of the changes that human beings propitiate in ecosystems and that more impact is deforestation, since it eliminates the basis of most ecosystems, which is the plant mass.
- Introduction of exotic species that are invasive: the human being can also produce changes in ecosystems modifying the species that are present in it. In this sense, the introduction of exotic animals or different geographical regions can cause true ravages in the ecosystems where they are introduced.
- Chemical pollution: One of the types of pollution produced by the human being and that causes more damage to ecosystems is chemical pollution. That is, the one that is constituted by particles so small that they mix with the environment, contaminating soils, water and air.
- Light contamination: Another type of pollution produced by the human being and that affects ecosystems in their night phases is light pollution. This contamination affects animals that are accustomed to darkness and that, in fact, require it to survive because they are adapted to it, as well as modifies the vital cycles of daytime animals, affecting all kinds of animal and plant species.
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