Select a lake ecosystem in your area. Write a 525- to 700-word paper explaining

Question

Select a lake ecosystem in your area. Write a 525- to 700-word paper explaining the following: 1) Describe the structure of your ecosystem including important abiotic features and dominant plant and animal species. 2) Explain some functions/processes of your ecosystem including one nutrient cycle and one food chain. 3) Give two examples of species interactions (predation, competition, mutualism, etc.) that occur in your ecosystem. 4) Identify an invasive species in your ecosystem. Explain its effects on the ecosystem and efforts to control or eradicate it. Include two outside references. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Explanation / Answer

1) Living organisms cannot live isolated from their non-living environment be­cause the latter provides materials and energy for the survival of the former i.e. there is interaction between a biotic community and its environment to produce a stable system; a natural self-sufficient unit which is known as an ecosystem.

An ecosystem is, therefore, defined as a natural functional ecological unit com­prising of living organisms (biotic community) and their non-living (abiotic or physio chemical) environment that interact to form a stable self-supporting sys­tem. A pond, lake, desert, grassland, meadow, forest etc. are common examples of ecosystems.

The non living factors or the physical environment prevailing in an ecosystem form the abiotic components. They have a strong influence on the structure, distribution, behaviour and inter-relationship of organisms.

Abiotic components are mainly of two type -

1. Climatic factors - include rain, temperature, light, wind, humidity, etc.

2. Edaphic factors - include soil, pH, Topography, minerals etc.

Soils are much more complex than simple sediments. They contain a mixture of weathered rock fragments, highly altered soil mineral particles, organic mat­ter, and living organisms. Soils provide nutrients, water, a home, and a struc­tural growing medium for organisms. The vegetation found growing on top of a soil is closely linked to this component of an ecosystem through nutrient cycling.

The atmosphere provides organisms found within ecosystems with carbon di­oxide for photosynthesis and oxygen for respiration. The processes of evapora­tion, transpiration and precipitation cycle water between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface.

Solar radiation is used in ecosystems to heat the atmosphere and to evapo­rate and transpire water into the atmosphere. Sunlight is also necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis provides the energy for plant growth and me­tabolism, and the organic food for other forms of life.

Most living tissue is composed of a very high percentage of water, up to and even exceeding 90%. The protoplasm of a very few cells can survive if their water content drops below 10%, and most are killed if it is less than 30-50%.

Water is the medium by which mineral nutrients enter and are trans-located in plants. It is also necessary for the maintenance of leaf turgidity and is required for photosynthetic chemical reactions. Plants and animals receive their water from the Earth’s surface and soil. The original source of this water is precipita­tion from the atmosphere.

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